


Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and the Sorcerer's Stone

by Bloodharpie



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Crossover, Gen, Hogwarts, Light Angst, Mental Health Issues, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-01-22 22:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 56,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21309304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodharpie/pseuds/Bloodharpie
Summary: Dimitri was only four years old when he witnessed the brutal mass murder of his friends and family at the hands of the darkest wizard of the age.  Seven years have passed since that terrible morning, and the Boy Who Lived is set to make his first journey to Hogwarts.  It will soon become apparent to Dimitri that his hardships have only just begun, and that it will take all of the strength and support he can find to make it through as dark secrets begin to unravel, and the whispers of the dead rise to lay claim to the boy who dared to survive.A Three Houses/HP crossover fic.  Notes on the general idea inside.
Comments: 40
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter One: Whispers in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is a huge project!!! But I want it. I've read the series enough times to have the thing damn near memorized, and the characters of Three Houses fit into the world with such beautiful potential. I'm using this as a means to vent my creativity, stroke my fandoms, practice working on a schedule, and to improve my writing for an original work I have in the wings. Where it is going to take so much time, I will get the hint if nobody seems to be biting. I'm hoping that won't be the case, however, and that I can lure my fellow superfans into this fun world I have mashed together.  
\------------------  
I have a full plot planned! While Voldemort is still going to be the primary Antagonist, I have a lot more up my sleeve. I aim to be respectful of both the HP plot, and the new characters I'm bringing to it.
> 
> The cast is primarily Three Houses members, and will have characters from the HP series only as secondary characters, at most.
> 
> I have crafted a unique backstory for each of them, to fit them soundly into the world and give us things to explore as they learn and grow. I worked to make sure their new backgrounds fit to match their existing personalities in Three Houses, even if it might take some growing for it to become apparent for them all.
> 
> When we get to sorting time, please feel free to argue with me about where I put anybody. I take criticism openly and debating is fun.
> 
> Rating will likely go up as the characters get older and the content changes
> 
> Assuming this doesn't tank and some of you actually enjoy this, I do plan on writing it for the full series. God, help me lmao.  
\----------  
Please be sure to leave a kudos and comment if you are interested in seeing the story continue. I am a shameless attention whore and need it to function.

A great horned owl soared low amidst a flock of companions across the clear morning skies of early October. The world was peaceful beneath them. Far different from the familiar world the owls had left, this one was quiet and undisturbed as its citizens rose from their beds. They set to their regular Tuesday routines without an inkling of an idea of the momentous events that had passed in the night; ignorant to the knowledge that they had been living in a time of great danger, and that, while they had slept, that danger had been silenced at long last.

As the rising sun cast light over the wings of her flock, the horned owl heard surprised and delighted gasps rise from the quiet people's streets. They grasped at each other and pointed, faces eager as they followed this strange and miraculous sight. A flock of owls! They cried. A whole bunch of them, and in the morning, too! The telly says its happening all over the country, doesn't it? All over the world, even! I wonder what they're up to?

After some time, the smooth walls of metal and glass and the straight lines of paved streets fell away, near as if they had crashed into some sort of wall. They were replaced by great towering trees, clustered together in a length of untouched woods encircling rolling fields of unkempt grass. Small dirt roads wound between the trees where they grew further apart, well away from the invisible line. Houses were spread across them, far different from the even and perfect little packages the owl had passed earlier in her travels. Tendrils of smoke curled up toward them from the chimneys as, one by one, the owl's companions dropped away, zeroing in on their destinations.

Her own target stood apart from the trees, sprawling in a grand and stately display across the gentle hills of the hidden valley. She swept gracefully from the sky, riding low over the breeze until her outstretched talons came to rest on a large perch that had been secured by the grand doors. She bent to free the latter at her ankle, rustling her tired wings with relief as it slipped to the ground with a soft thud. She drank deeply from the refreshments attached to her perch, and barely reacted when a sharp _POP _announced the arrival of the house's master.

Unlike the sleepy inhabitants of the neighboring towns, the wizard that stood beside her was not at peace. He whirled at her movements, pointing a long and intricately carved wand in her direction. She glared at him reproachfully, and he slumped, relaxing his stance and bringing his wand arm back to help support the trembling bundle he carried. The blankets wrapped around the whimpering burden were filthy, singed at the sides and stained with ash. He crooned down at it softly and gently bent to collect his visitor's delivery. “It would appear Rhea already knows,” he muttered under his breath. There was a sigh in his voice, both exhausted and wary, and his expression twisted to match it. “Wait for my reply,” he told the owl, and, without waiting for a response that she could not supply, he disappeared inside.

Rodrigue was set upon immediately by a cluster of elves, all beside themselves with worry and awe. News scattered among them quickly, he supposed. He kept his voice low and soft as he crouched among them, gently shifting the bundle in his arms. Tiny feet slid from the bottom of the blanket, planting themselves reluctantly on the floor. One was covered in a dirty sock, singed at the toe. The other was entirely bare, and bleeding lightly. Rodrigue crooned gentle comforts as he pulled the blanket away, revealing a trembling and familiar child to his curious servants.

The miserable sight of him wrenched at their hearts, but they kept their distance at their Lord's firm command. The boy was small - he was near in age to young master Felix, whom was only just approaching his fourth birthday. He had startling blue eyes, swollen things leaking steady rivers of silent tears over his ruddy cheeks. He raised his clenched fists to hide his face, matted blonde locks falling forward as he began to weep in earnest. “Younger mister Dimitri!” One of them cried, recognition hitting them all in an instant. “What is you doing here?”

“He's hurt!” Fret another, a friendly little thing adept in the healing arts. “He's bleeding, on his forehead!”

“Yes, Tilly, I'm aware,” Rodrigue sighed. “We will get him settled in, and then you may set to tending it. For now I will need the lot of you to make ready for him. Clothes, some hot food, and a bedroom for him to claim near Felix.” They set off without another word, though many could not help a worried glance over their shoulder as Rodrigue scooped Dimitri back into his arms. The two made their way to his office, where he settled in at his large desk and allowed the young boy to settle on his lap.

He had no sooner wet his quill to begin his reply than the flames in his fireplace roared to life, crackling in vivid shades of green. Dimitri shrieked, then wailed, burying his face in Rodrigue's shoulder as a tall woman stepped swiftly from the flames. He scowled in her direction, dropping his quill to draw the boy near. “Would you be so kind as to explain to me the purpose of writing a letter,” he began, his voice tired and irritable, “if you do not intend to give the recipient time to respond?”

Rhea ignored him, her usually soft eyes sharp as they scanned the room. Seemingly satisfied, she turned back to Rodrigue, hastening to stand before him. “Dimitri's alright?” Her face fell into pure concern, and Rodrigue sighed.

“I wouldn't say alright, no.” Gently he turned the boy in his arms, trying to get him to settle as Rhea leaned forward to examine him. Her eyes locked on the wound on his forehead, a light hiss sneaking from her lips. She softly brushed his hair back for a better look, and Dimitri recoiled. “It's been hours, and the bleeding hasn't stopped.” A tinge of desperation coated his voice, and Rhea looked to him with the deepest of sympathy. “I don't understand what it is, or how it got there. He was -” he broke off, and had to take a moment to compose himself. Rhea lifted Dimitri from his arms while he did, allowing her even aura to penetrate the fear gripping his tiny heart. Dimitri settled, and Rodrigue continued. “He was trapped. Beneath Lambert.”

The office door swung open, and Tilly wandered in. “The foods are ready, Master Rodrigue,” she chirped, bowing low. “Also there is a bath ready, and the bedroom is all clean.” Efficient as ever. Rhea bent to lower Dimitri to the ground, gently setting him beside the elf. Already, he towered over her.

“Dimitri, sweetheart, go with this nice elf and do as she tells you. Alright?” He obeyed without question, and Rodrigue frowned at Rhea as the door closed once more. It was not the time, however, to revisit old lines of questioning. He sighed again, scrubbing over his face with a heavy hand, and leant back in his chair to await her questions.

They spoke at length, joined frequently in flashes of emerald flame. Each possessed an opinion held in high regard, and many refused to hold true to the news until they heard it coming straight from them. It was true, they assured them each time. He Who Must Not Be Named had fallen. Yes, they were sure. No, they did not know what had happened.

Yes. The Blaiddyd's had been slain.

The grand clock in the study tolled the late afternoon hour by the time Rhea rose to leave again. “I have overstayed my welcome, it seems,” she sighed, offering him a soft smile. “Thank you for enduring my presence so long, Rodrigue.” He waved her off, shaking his head.

“It saves me the need to continue dredging it up. You _will_ make an announcement, yes?” He peered at her intently. Rhea had a habit of keeping to herself, at times. Doing so now would cause an ocean of needless gossip and wondering that the young politician simply had no interest in fielding. She laughed and nodded, reassuring him, and he leaned back, accepting it. He reconnected his fireplace, and she moved to leave. “Rhea,” he called, and she paused at the mantle, looking back to him curiously. “Just so we are clear: Dimitri will be staying with me.”

Her gaze raked Rodrigue's face, unreadable. “You are his legal guardian,” she finally said, her face smoothing back to its easy and relaxed state. He nodded, taking the statement for agreement. He would expect nothing more from the cryptic woman. And with that, she was gone, and his office was silent again. He gazed over it, his expression crestfallen, grief clawing at his chest like a dark and feral beast. It was going to be a very, very long day.

Seven years passed before the horned owl visited him again.

The master was to be found on his grounds, that morning. He wandered the gravel coated paths winding about his expansive gardens, closely followed by two small boys. They varied greatly from one another in appearance, yet their bond of brotherhood was obvious at a glance. Distantly, there was the sound of a roughly opened door, followed by heavy and frenzied footsteps. They raced to catch the small group, a young voice bellowing across the grounds. “Father! Father, an owl is here! A HOGWARTS OWL IS HERE!” The young man roared. He nearly collided with the small boys when he finally came upon him, and his father laughed, shielding his eyes to look toward the sky.

The suddenly anxious boys copied him, squinting as they peered about the clouds, straining to catch sight of the source of such excitement. Rodrigue chuckled, low and warm. “It would seem that Glenn is correct,” he said, watching the smaller children from the corner of his eye, “that is, indeed, a Hogwarts owl.” They gasped, grabbing tightly at each other's hands, their heads swiveling to follow Rodrigue's gaze in unison. “Well, Felix, Dimitri. Go and see what it's brought.”

They bolted, nearly tripping over each other in their excitement as they raced toward the estate, their cries of excitement echoing sharply over the hills. Glenn turned to his father, grinning. “Kids, huh?” Rodrigue laughed, clapping his eldest on the back and guiding him along to follow the boys home.

“Indeed,” he mused as they walked, “I'm certainly glad they will have you to look after them.”

“Always,” Glenn asserted. He paused then, frowning. “They better not embarrass me at school, though. I have a reputation, you know!”

“Oh yes, of course,” Rodrigue beamed. “I'm afraid to inform you, however, that embarrassment is forever the duty of a younger sibling.” Glenn scowled.

Inside, Dimitri and Felix bounded into the breakfast room, faces aglow with excitement as they scrambled onto their chairs. Momo the elf smiled up at them, passing each a thickly enveloped later. “For you, young masters,” he wheezed. They marveled at them, small fingers tracing the elegantly emblazoned emerald text. Momo set a similar envelope at Glenn's preferred seat, and the rest of stack at the head of the table, before he busied himself with the drinks and the older boys joined them. Rodrigue felt warm and light as he watched his boys tear into the letters. Glenn gasped when something fell out of his, crying out and flashing it at his father.

“A prefect! Well done, Glenn!” Rodrigue praised, squeezing his shoulder. Dimitri held his breath as his eyes raked his own letter. He wasn't quite sure why, but he was dizzy with relief. It was almost as if he had expected his letter not to come – as if he wouldn't be accepted. But that was ridiculous, he reminded himself. He shook his head, smiling up at Felix, whose much repeated words echoed in Dimitri's head. All witches and wizards got to go to Hogwarts, he'd kept reminding him. Yet as he watched him, Dimitri noted that Felix looked a little relieved, too. “Well, it looks like we have a shopping trip to plan.” The boys turned eagerly back to their father.

“Can we go today?” Felix asked, his eyes bright. He pouted when Rodrigue shook his head, and scowled at his excuse; he had work that day, and he would be busy late into the evening.

“You should take the day off,” Glenn complained. “They just got their first letters. And I've been made a prefect!” He reminded him. Though he looked regretful, Rodrigue declined. The boys slumped.

Felix tugged at Dimitri's sleeve when breakfast was finished, hurrying him to the back door. “I wanna see if the others got their letters, too,” he insisted, grumbling when Dimitri paused to finish shoving a biscuit into his cheeks. He waved off his father's calls of goodbye, cranky as he often was when the man left for work on an exciting day, and pulled at Dimitri again. “C'_mon_, Mitri!” He finally relented, allowing himself to be tugged. He hurriedly waved goodbye to his godfather, dashing behind Felix.

They stopped to grab their broomsticks, kicking soundly up from the ground and zipping off through the trees. Strictly speaking, the boys weren't supposed to be flying their brooms off of the grounds just yet. It always tugged at Dimitri's stomach a bit, equal parts shame and excitement, at the beginning of their little adventures. His godfather was a politician who held lofty office at the Ministry. It wouldn't be good for him if it came to be known that his children regularly broke flying laws. Dimitri couldn't help himself, though. Nothing matched this feeling, the wind kicking up around them. The drag of it pulling at him, whipping his clothes and hair about. The tickle in his stomach with every drop, the soar with every spin. Dimitri loved flying more than he loved almost anything.

It took an hour to reach their meeting place. The pond was hidden away in the depths of the woods, distanced from the one the boys called home. Their special place was on the shore, along an outcropping of rocks supporting a few slowly uprooting trees. Ingrid was already there when they arrived, her thick hair pulled into hurried braids and her long legs swinging where she sat on her favorite branch. She was munching on a snack, as usual, and waved happily as they descended to her. “Took you long enough!”

“My father makes us follow the law, unlike yours,” Felix huffed as he dismounted, “we can't leave until he's gone.” Ingrid frowned at the veiled insult, but chose to ignore it. Dimitri strode over to her, reaching up to give her a tight hug.

“It's good to see you, Ingrid. I like your braids!” They quickly fell into chatter, while Felix paced around their rocks, frequently glancing to the sky. Dimitri knew who he was waiting for, but he also knew better than to bring it up. Felix hadn't much liked expressing how attached he was to their missing friend, ever since Glenn had started to tease him that they should get married. “Say, do you know where Sylvain is, Ingrid?” He asked her instead. She shook her head and took another big bite of her sandwich, responding through the mouthful.

“Nope, but when's that boy ever on time?” She sounded annoyed, but then again, Ingrid often sounded annoyed when she spoke of Sylvain. The three of them soon fell into excited chatter over their letters, Ingrid luring Felix to join them with the packaged muggle meat snacks she had brought with her. A couple hours passed before Felix suddenly perked up beside them, his eyes trained high. Sylvain came gliding out over the water, showing off, as usual, his fiery hair whipping wildly about his cheeky grin. “A grindylow is going to reach up and snatch him off that broom, one day,” Ingrid sighed he approached. Sylvain sent pebbles flying as his feet scrambled over the rocks, huffing out apologies for his lateness. “Were you busy, or something?” Ingrid asked. They'd planned to meet at the pond the day they got their letters weeks ago. It had almost seemed like their friend wouldn't make it.

“Eh, something like that.” His face twisted in the sneer it got when he was thinking of his family, and they all understood at once. “Lecturing me about how I was going to be attending school with some very 'prominent names', namely you, Dimitri -” Dimitri flushed, looking away, “and how I needed to always be mindful of my representation of the family. Blah, blah, blah.” He dropped gracelessly down to join them, grinning when Felix passed him a snack.

“School's still two months away. What, are they going to bother you all summer?” Sylvain just raised his eyebrows at Felix's question, and the answer didn't need to be spoken. The Gautier family cared for their precious pride as if it were solid gold. It was, in fact, how the three of them had come to become friends with Sylvain. He'd been punished for going to a muggle settlement near his home, and his parents had nearly lost their heads when they came to learn he had spent the day playing with the children he'd met there. Stubborn, Sylvain had taken off, seeking out the only family he could think of whom was both hated by his parents, and had a child his own age. He'd followed Ingrid for weeks before she finally relented and introduced him to her friends.

The four of them recounted the story that day, laughing happily and joking about the stupidity of blood purists. Sylvain's late arrival pulled their attention away from the time, the summer sun doing little to warn them of the passing hours. It wasn't until Ingrid's stomach began to rumble, low and growling while they played, that they realized how much time had passed. Felix blanched when he noted the sky, vividly painted like a sea of fire. “Dimitri, it's late!” They all rushed for their brooms, calling to each other with promises to convince their parents to do school shopping on the same day. Then they took to the sky, and the pond was quiet once more.

Glenn was in the backyard when they arrived, arms crossed and face expectant as he waited for them. It was beginning to get a little dark, now, and the young boys were as ravenous as they were nervous about what trouble they may find themselves in. “Is father home?” Felix asked in a rush, stumbling on a clumsy dismount.

“Not yet, and lucky for you, because not only are you late but you went and flew right up to the house like idiots. Get your brooms in the shed and hurry up.” Glenn watched them hurry to do as he said, and followed closely behind them on their way into the house. Normally the older boy was playful, even mischievous. He was, however, also immensely over protective, and always got very serious when he was worried about Felix and Dimitri. “Next time you guys come home this late I'm sending a letter to father,” he warned them. They both slumped, mumbling twin apologies.

They were all settled at the dinner table by the time Rodrigue returned. To their surprise, he brought a guest. The man who followed him held himself with a stately composure, and was dressed in expensive robes of navy and cream. Though his voice was serious and severe, his face was kind, framed in a shade of green that seemed a curious choice for such a person. “Ah, they've chosen to behave themselves today, I see,” Rodrigue chortled as they entered the room. “Seteth, my children. At dinner on time, for once.”

“Hi, Professor Cichol!” Glenn greeted him happily. “Look, Professor Mcgonagall made me a prefect!” He flashed his badge, pinned proudly to his chest, and Seteth gave him a soft smile. “Who did you pick for your house?” The older men took their seats, and the one called Seteth chuckled.

“You'll have to find that out for yourself, Glenn. Don't want to go ruining their fun in getting to tell their friends. Congratulations are in order, though. Professor Mcgonagall chose very well, indeed.” He turned then to Felix and Dimitri, and introduced himself. “As you may have gathered, I am Professor Cichol. I teach History of Magic at Hogwarts. I am also the head of Hufflepuff house. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The boys greeted him back politely, and introduced themselves in turn. Dimitri felt the light burn in his cheeks when the Professor's gaze lingered on him, and grew irritated with himself. It was high time he grew accustomed to people's staring. It clearly was not going to get better any time soon.

“What brings you here this evening, Professor?” Felix asked him curiously as they began their meal. Dimitri noted the briefest of looks flash between the older men, and grew instantly curious. They covered it quickly, however, and he found himself wondering if Felix or Glenn had caught it, as well.

“Just a little errand for the school,” Seteth replied. “I serve as deputy headmaster and that role requires certain things of me from time to time.” His tone left no invitation to pursue the matter further, and conversation moved instead to the boys' approaching first year. Later, when the desserts plates had been cleared away and the adult's wine glasses were replaced with stronger drink, the children were dismissed.

Felix came to find Dimitri in his room soon after, fidgeting the way he always did when he was up to no good. Dimitri was lounging in bed ready, his hair heavy and fragrant from a shower. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and he eyed Felix warily as he approached. He hadn't the energy to run around hunting for ghosts, or whatever else his friend had in mind. “Father's still talking to the Professor in his sitting room,” Felix led. Dimitri only gave him a pointed look, waiting for him to continue. It wasn't entirely unusual for Rodrigue to have guests late into the night, after all. He was a politician. Felix frowned at him. “Did you not notice, at dinner? When I asked what brought him here?” Realization dawned on Dimitri. He could hardly believe he'd forgotten.

“They were up to something,” he gasped. He dropped his book and sat up straight, eyes bright with curiosity. “What do you think it was?”

“I don't know! I tried to spy on them, but Glenn was in the listening spot and he chased me off.” He scowled, and Dimitri suppressed a laugh.

“Because you're bad at spying,” Glenn called from the doorway, and they both jumped. “You stay quiet good, but you never remember the important stuff.” He ruffled his little brother's hair against his pouting face. “I have a plan, though!” The boys leaned forward, eager to listen. “You'll both go running in, freaking out and saying there's a bogart in Felix's closet. But you gotta remember to try to hear what they're saying before you talk!”

They weren't entirely sure about this plan, but Glenn convinced them, and before long the boys were nervously creeping down the halls. Dimitri had always found the estate a bit creepy at night, even if he had never admitted it. The high stone walls seemed to echo extra eerily in the dark, and the shadows they cast danced like wicked gremlins on the edge of the light from the wall sconces. They heard voices as they approached the stairs, and Felix quickly grabbed him by the back of his shirt to duck with him behind the railing. It wouldn't do much to hide them should the men below choose to look, but it made them feel better as they spied, their hearts pounding as Seteth was brought his coat at the door. “I have the utmost faith in her decision, and you have only reassured me all the more,” Seteth was saying.

Rodrigue nodded, and Dimitri thought his expression looked rather serious. Grim, even. His curiosity skipped higher, morphing into something different, laced at the edges with concern. “It will be safe here,” his godfather assured the man, “I will guard it with my life.” The boys looked at each other with wide eyes, and Dimitri was relieved to see his fear mirrored on Felix's face.

“Let us pray that it does not come to that,” Seteth sighed. “Well, I have had a lovely evening, all things considered. You have a very pleasant family.” Rodrigue thanked him, and Seteth paused as he turned to leave. “He...seems well,” he finally said, his words slow, as though he were searching for just the right ones. “Dimitri.” The boy in question slid further back into the shadows of the hallway at the mention of his name, as if it would prompt them to look up and discover him.

“He is a marvelous young man,” Rodrigue replied, with no small amount of pride. Dimitri's heart swelled. “The boys are my world. All of them.”

“It warms my heart to hear it,” Seteth replied. “Well, I suppose that's all. Good evening, Rodrigue.” And with that, he was gone, and the boys were scrambling back to their rooms, their pulses quick. Glenn's eyes widened at their return, their success painted on their faces, and instantly began to demand what they had heard. They told him hurriedly, and together the three of them dissected every word, every movement the pair had made throughout the evening. Rodrigue liked to joke that they were going to be the world's most terrifying aurors, whenever they got like this. It was Glenn's greatest dream, and when he talked Felix and Dimitri through all of the important points they may have missed, Dimitri knew without any doubt that he would truly excel at it.

The hour was late when Glenn finally returned to his room, and Felix climbed under the covers with Dimitri without a word. The two of them slept together frequently, taking comfort in the steady rhythm of their breath. Dimitri lay in bed awake for a long while, well past when Felix's breathing changed, signalling his own sleep. He stared at his ceiling, eyes trailing over the bright swirls of magically glowing stars painted across the surface as his mind worked around what he had heard, what Glenn had said. When sleep finally claimed him, and the ever present nightmares crept upon his mind, the familiar scenes were interspersed with imaginings of Rodrigue, two hundred feet tall, throwing himself over a castle and vowing to protect it with his dying breath.


	2. Chapter Two: The Boy Who Lived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long term effects of seven years previous are explored, and Dimitri begins to experience a terrifying new development. Meanwhile, the Fraldarius family makes their way to Diagon Alley in a preliminary shopping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is taking every ounce of my will power to not leap ahead to the onslaught of character arrivals. I'm so excited to introduce everyone and their new backstories to you, but all good things for those who wait, am I right?
> 
> I put thought and research into their chosen wand types (and every wand type I may mention later). I invite you to check out the Wizarding World descriptions, if you're interested.

Dimitri dreamed of death. Blinding bursts of emerald light juxtaposed with desperate screams, the faces of his friends and family contorted in pain and fear as they watched one another fall. A hissing, haunting voice wound through the din. “Give me the boy, and it will cease,” it breathed. “Give me the boy, and escape with your lives.” Nobody ever listened. The screams were unrelenting, like knives in his ears. “Don't be a fool, Lambert,” the voice snarled.

Blue eyes snapped open in the dark and Dimitri's chest heaved, struggling against the great phantom weight that had collapsed upon him. The memory of the feeling of his father's corpse crushing him into the ground gripped at him, threatening to crush every bit of air from his lungs. Dimitri sat up and shoved his blankets roughly away. Bare feet tread a tired and familiar path across his thick rugs until they came to a pause at a floor length window. He slid it open quietly and stooped to pull himself carefully onto the thick ledge beyond. Dimitri had discovered his perch early on in life at Fraldarius manor, a wide slab of stone that stretched from his bedroom window to the corner of his house where it supported an imposing gargoyle.

Breathing always came easier to him outdoors. Rodrigue had told him that it appeared Dimitri suffered from claustrophobia, and had recommended he try getting fresh air whenever breathing was a struggle. He pulled the thick and heady summertime air in greedily, now, his aching lungs filling until it seemed they may burst with it before he let it all go in a _woosh_ past his lips. He repeated this until his head stopped spinning, and the phantom weight lifted from his body. The sharp, pulsing prickle in his forehead slowly began to fade to a dull throb, and his breathing came easier as it did. When he was finally calm he let himself enjoy the view.

Grenwich Grove was stunning in the moonlight, a sprawling sea of rustling grass outlined in the dark, secure majesty of the thick woods. The largest magical settlement in Britain, its story was a long and fascinating one. Here in the meadows, Fraldarius estate was neighbored by a number of elegant and imposing manors, each one unique and grand, each the home of a very old magical family. Then there were the woods that surrounded them, thronged with simple dirt roads and dotted with homes of younger magical bloodlines. Somewhere among them was Alder Square, crowded with a variety of shops and cafes and a favorite social spot of the Grove's inhabitants.

A light came to life at the corner of Dimitri's eye. A large window in the upper right hand corner of Hresvelg manor was glowing, the glass shining in the moonlight as it was pulled open. He leaned forward subconsciously to get a better look, his hand gripped tightly over the statue at his side as the room's inhabitant stepped onto her balcony. Her hair looked silky and immaculate even at a distance, draped across her back and shoulders. Dimitri wondered, far from the first time, what had stirred her that evening. A voice sounded from his shoulder and he jerked forward with a startled gasp, his hands scrabbling at the ledge and gargoyle to maintain his balance. Had he not already been steadying himself, he'd have gone sprawling to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Felix had come out to find him, his eyes heavy with sleep and mouth twisted with concern. Dimitri gasped out a throw away response as he tried to settle his heart again, and Felix's eyes slid in the direction his friend had been staring. Dimitri watched as a slow smirk spread over his lips and raised a hand to cover the blush that was heating his cheeks. “Spying on Edelgard again, huh?” He teased. Dimitri whirled around, checking panicked to be sure she hadn't reacted to Felix's words, that she hadn't somehow caught them from across the hills. Felix rolled his eyes.

“I'm not _spying_ on Edelgard,” Dimitri whispered. “I came out here to get some air, and I noticed she had done the same. That's all.” He stared adamantly back at his friend's unconvinced expression. “Honestly, Felix, you know I come out here all the time -” A voice interrupted Dimitri, then. Its familiarity dropped a weight of pure ice in his gut and set the scar over his brow alight with pain.

_Pathetic child_ it hissed. He froze.

Whatever response Felix had lined up was discarded, ever shrewd, his expression fell immediately back to concern. “Dimitri?” He placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and the sharpness in his chest eased lightly. “What's the matter?” He opened his suddenly dry mouth to respond, and the cold voice came again. Clearer this time, the ghost of it tickling the shell of his ear.

_Too weak for this world_ it crooned.

Felix looked very concerned, now, and his hand tightened on Dimitri's shoulder. “C'mon, let's go back in,” he urged. Dimitri only nodded and followed after him, hunched over himself protectively as they crawled back into the dark room. He was certain to have been imagining things – Felix would have said if he'd heard something. Still, the clarity had been unmistakable. He rubbed idly at his still prickling scar, willing the pain away, and regretted the motion in an instant as Felix's sharp eyes followed it. “Should I get father?”

“No.” Dimitri startled them both with the firmness in his voice. The disembodied voice taunted him again, and he grit his teeth against it. Clearly, he needed more sleep. He expressed as much to Felix, and ignored the unconvinced frown as they climbed back into bed.

Three weeks later, Dimitri was forced to accept the fact that this was his new normal. The voice now followed him everywhere, issuing biting remarks and murmured insults through the quiet moments of his days. Before long it was joined by others. His father, beside himself, demanding to know why he was not seeking those that brought him harm. His step mother, accusation sharp on her tongue, shrieking of how he had forgotten them, had left them to suffer in death as he moved on with his life among the Fraldarius family. It shifted something in him, gripped some long forgotten knot buried deep within his chest and twisted it until it broke.

Normalcy became difficult. He found himself struggling to sit still during meals, and though he could hardly start a conversation himself, he would grow irritated when ever quiet lulls would fall among the family. Had they always been this maddeningly silent? He was certain that wasn't the case. Were they doing it on purpose? He tried roughly to shake the thoughts away, his grip firm enough at the edge of the table that he could imagine cracks spidering from his fingertips. Rodrigue would notice, a light frown over his lips, but for whatever reason he had thus far shown enough mercy to not press for answers about his godson's sudden change.

It was early August by the time he felt his old self flickering to life under this new, cold weight. Glenn woke him in the morning by pouncing on his bed, and ducked laughingly out of the way when Dimitri flailed at him in a panic. “Up!” He commanded, swatting his arms away. “Father says we'll have breakfast when we get there.” Dimitri blinked at him owlishly, struggling to shake away the last dredges of his fitful sleep.

“When we get where?” He asked. Glenn looked smug, a secret glinting behind his eyes.

They met with a grumpy and equally exhausted looking Felix in the hallway. He frowned and looked away when he saw Dimitri, and guilt rolled in his chest as a chattering Glenn led them downstairs. Felix had been turned away from his room frequently in the last few weeks, and he was clearly hurt by it. The last few of July had seen many a storm, and the clashing echoes of thunder were a terror on the smaller boy. Ashamed of himself, Dimitri resolved to go to him that night. A wave of strength rose in his chest, and he clenched his fist. It was time to get back to normal, he told himself, is internal voice firm. He reached out to squeeze Felix's hand, and though it was promptly pulled away, a scowl on his sharp face, the ease in his shoulders told Dimitri that he was already forgiven.

Rodrigue was waiting for them by the grand fireplace in the entrance hall, his summer cloak already clipped around his shoulders. “Good morning, boys,” he greeted them warmly. His smile grew when Dimitri mustered a warm greeting in return. The relief was painfully obvious, and Dimitri felt shame again. He wasn't quite sure what it was that had gotten into him, lately, but his resolve to get it under control strengthened. “I thought it would be a good morning to head into London.” Felix spluttered, displeased.

“We're not supposed to go to Diagon Alley until the weekend!” He argued, flushing lightly at the whining tone of his voice. He had been working very hard to stop 'being a crybaby', as Glenn so kindly put it. It wasn't working very well. Rodrigue laughed, shaking his head.

“Don't worry, Felix, we'll go again to get your school things this weekend. You won't miss your friends.” His eyes twinkled knowingly, and his youngest son looked away with a pout. Rodrigue reasoned to them that there were plenty of other things to do in the city other than school shopping as they gathered their own cloaks. “Besides, it would be rather nice to break up the busy shopping day, wouldn't it?” None of them disagreed.

Glenn grasped a fistful of the powder from the mounted jar first. He stepped confidently into the grate, his voice firm and unafraid as he declared 'Diagon Alley' and threw the powder to the wood. Dimitri cringed lightly away when the brilliant green roared around him, and only breathed again when it was gone. He had strongly disliked the look of floo use for as long as he could remember. Rodrigue turned to them and looked at Dimitri expectantly. The blonde boy spotted a small opportunity to make up for his recent behavior toward his friend. “Can Felix come with me?” He chirped, hoping he sounded more nervous than excited. “I haven't gone as far as London with it, before.”

“I don't mind!” Felix quickly chimed in before Rodrigue could remind Dimitri that he had, in fact, taken the floo much further before. “I'll go with him.” He shrugged and stepped aside, gesturing for them to get on with it. Felix squeezed Dimitri's hand tightly as they stepped over the logs, and the small grateful smile he gave him strengthened Dimitri. It shifted his determination to return to himself from a weak cloak draped about his shoulders to a suit of armor, unbothered by the uncertain whispers in the back of Dimitri's mind. Felix reached over him when he went to grasp the fistful of powder. “I'll do it,” he insisted. “You miss the logs when you close your eyes.” Dimitri's sheepish smile was quickly whipped away, the pair of them hurtling from the familiar home across the strange expanse of the floo network.

This was the part that bothered Felix more than Dimitri. He clung tightly to his larger friend as they whirled about, both of them struggling to keep their eyes closed against the temptation of watching their surroundings. It was always a bad idea to watch the infinite windows of countless fireplaces swim by, sure to set you dizzy and tumbling in the wrong direction. An instant with the weight of an hour passed, and their boots met with solid ground again. They collided roughly with the wood of the pub and Dimitri let go of Felix on instinct, losing his balance and hurtling to the ground as he always did. The graceful boy beside him hurried to help him up, and they were only just beginning to dust themselves off when Rodrigue came through at their backs. Glenn was nowhere to be seen as they collected themselves, and their guardian frowned as he scanned the dark and smoky room for his eldest son.

Felix looked around the room unhappily and pulled tighter to Dimitri's side as they followed Rodrigue through. “I hate it in here,” he grumbled as he struggled to avoid brushing against the ragged and dirty cloaks of the Leaky Cauldron's patrons. Dimitri could only offer him a sympathetic smile as Rodrigue called out to the pub's attendant, asking after Glenn. They were directed to the alley in the back, and the young boys grinned when they caught sight of him. He was leaned casually back against the stone wall, his demeanor smooth and cool. There was a girl beside him, giggling and blushing as they spoke. It was fascinating to observe this new side of him, the mantle of playful older brother cast aside and replaced with the air of a flirtatious teenager. Rodrigue cleared his throat and Glenn straightened immediately, glancing over at them with a sheepish smile.

“You went through the fireplace less than two minutes ago,” Rodrigue sighed, half scolding and half disbelieving. Glenn shrugged, and his companion waved, her giggles trailing behind her as she disappeared back into the bar. “Never mind. Come,” he bid the children, and they eagerly watched as he raised his wand to the worn bricks. Dimitri never tired of watching them shift and slide away. The sounds and smells of the crowded alley beyond hit them like a wave. Diagon Alley always felt like its own little world, to Dimitri. It astounded him that something so vibrant, so _loud_, could ever be hidden from the muggles living just a hair away. Magic really did incredible things.

The family made their way to a restaurant built into the corner of a building. Its large windows wrapped in a nice curve with the corner, decorated prettily with dancing floral enchantments. They settled around a stone table on the outdoor patio, and Dimitri looked eagerly around while Rodrigue summoned the waitress. Gringotts sat across the intersection, its imposing figure a spotless white marvel rising above the squat buildings at its sides. Dimitri wondered if they would stop there today. He had been with Rodrigue only a small handful of times, and always on quick and informal business. Still, the adventure was always a memorable one.

“Welcome to Lily's,” the waitress greeted as she arrived at the table. She beamed at them and nodded her head respectfully to Rodrigue. “We're delighted to have you, Mr. Fraldarius.” He thanked her graciously, and her eyes scanned naturally among his company while he asked her about their coffee selection. Dimitri stiffened when her gaze faltered over him, flickering subconsciously to his forehead. Felix scowled at her and Dimitri raised his hand out of habit, smoothing his long bangs reassuringly over what she had been looking for. Rodrigue cleared his throat and she turned her attention back to him with a start, a lightly embarrassed flush gracing her cheeks. Dimitri didn't blame her for being curious. He had grown to expect it, ever aware of the eyes that followed him when he was in public. He told his family that he was used to it, but it in all honesty, could one ever become adjusted to being stared at for surviving a mass slaughter?

_Another pathetic sheep, awed by the boy who lived._ He tightened his hands around his menu and grit his teeth against the voice. No, he told himself firmly. Read the menu. Ignore it. “Arthur tells me that the coffee concoctions you serve here are legendary,” Rodrigue chats, and Dimitri clings to the conversation like a lifeline. Arthur. Mr. Weasley. The friendly man that always entertained him and Felix with the neat muggle things in his office when they joined Rodrigue at the ministry. His daughter, Annette, would be joining them at Hogwarts this year. The waitress beamed at his godfather, happily explaining the revolutionary technique of the woman who owned the restaurant, and her voice stirred the phantoms again.

_She worships you_ it hissed. _How in love they are with the boy who killed his family and left them for another_. Felix's hand reached for him, and he squeezed his arm until his nails bit into his skin. Dimitri let out a sharp breath, and the drone of the voices slid back away. He gave him a grateful look, and though Felix looked concerned once again, he looked far more pleased that his idea had helped. They all placed their orders, and he found himself relaxing further when she was gone. Dimitri hated the fact that these insignificant little interactions still managed to get under his skin. He'd had to endure them most of his short life, despite repeated effort on his godfather's attempt to keep it under control.

It was a bit better among people who knew the family. Rodrigue had been sure to make it abundantly clear to his coworkers, whom shared with their own children, that it was incredibly rude to stare in a normal circumstance, much less the one his young godson had been thrown into. “How would you like it,” Dimitri had once heard him snap at a ministry official, “if strangers gaped at you every where you went, always reminding you of the worst day of your life?” It had embarrassed him, but he was grateful for the effort nonetheless. Still, it could never be fully quelled. Beyond the tragedies that had taken place that morning, something incredible had come of it. The evil wizard whom had been terrorizing them all had died, destroyed when he had turned his wand on Dimitri. It was commonly believed that something wonderful lived deep within the boy, some strange exalted magic that had risen to save them all.

_All hail the little savior_, the voices crooned. This time, he reached for Felix's arm. It seemed to work, and as conversation picked up at the table, Dimitri fully relaxed again. His family really did seem to greatly enjoy the food here, and it was fun to watch Glenn and Rodrigue dig into their plates with unrestrained gusto. Felix frowned at them disapprovingly while Dimitri laughed, delighted by their levity. “Now, then. Where should we go first?” Glenn turned to them when they moved away from the restaurant awhile later. “You could all use some new clothes for the school year.” They all made a face at this, and he laughed. “Perhaps not.”

“We should get our wands!” Felix burst out, noting Ollivander's up the way. “Can we, father?”

“Didn't you want to wait to do it with your friends?” Glenn asked.

“I think that's a great idea, actually,” Rodrigue mused. “It will be far easier to get you two in today than it will be this weekend.” An electric thrill of excitement shot through the pair, and, grinning at each other, they took off toward the shop at full tilt. Rodrigue's laughter followed them until it was swallowed up by the crowds of the busy shopping center. They collided roughly with the door, Dimitri laughing as his flustered friend shifted back, clumsily grabbing the handle and yanking it open.

It was almost eerily silent in the crowded store, and Dimitri found himself marveling at the endless, precariously teetering stacks of thin boxes. He felt a flutter in his chest as his heart rate began to spike, his pulse twitching in his fingertips. Every little witch or wizard spent much of their early years dreaming of this day. The day they would finally be paired with that crucial extension of themselves, the partner that would likely join them for the rest of their lives. Felix was tense with excitement at his side, and when a man came abruptly sliding across the shelves on a ladder, stopping at the end with a loud _bang_, the two nearly startled out of their skins. He whirled on them, his eyes ridiculously huge behind lenses as thick as a skipping stone. “A_ha_!” He declared, and he jumped from his ladder with a grace that stood in stark contrast to his apparent age.

“H-hullo,” Dimitri greeted him nervously. Felix stammered at his side, demanding to know why he was riding around on some ridiculous ladder. The man simply stared at him through the tirade until Felix fell silent, blushing.

“So the youngest Fraldarius finally finds his way into my shop,” Ollivander said when he was done. He did not look remotely bothered by the little tirade. “Welcome, welcome. Your brother mentioned you would be coming this year when he came for his...replacement, over Easter.” Displeasure coated his voice at the end. Glenn had broken his first wand beyond repair in a nasty fall from his broom while playing a stupid and dangerous game with his friends. The boys remembered the day Rodrigue had found out with a great deal of clarity. Dimitri had never heard him yell before that day. Ollivander then turned his gaze to Dimitri, who braced himself immediately. He was silent for a long moment, his face contemplative. “And young Dimitri, as well,” he finally said. It did not appear he had more to say beyond the matter, however. Dimitri lightly cleared his throat.

“How do we start?” He asked, and Ollivander clapped his hands. He turned back to his counter, moving giddily to the boxes lined beneath it. Felix stepped forward when he asked who would be going first, and Dimitri moved back to settle on one of the old chairs lining the back wall. Ollivander came back with his wand, which Felix eyed warily as the strange man circled him like one might circle a decorative piece of furniture. He raised his wand and swirled it about, tutting when Felix flinched away and pulling him back into the place. A long ribbon of glittering measuring tape spilled from the tip, and it twist and writhed around Felix in odd, confusing patterns. Ollivander hmm'd and aah'd all the while, apparently fascinated by whatever the length of tape was discovering for him. He vanished into the back of his shop when it was done, and returned with a small stack of boxes.

“Let's try these, then,” he told Felix, who eagerly came forward. Dimitri thought the first one suited his friend quite well. Ivory, Ollivander told him, with a dragon heart string core. Felix looked at it with wonder as he held it gingerly, and before his grip could adjust to try giving it a wave Ollivander bristled, tugging it away. “Nope, not that one.” Dimitri choked back a laugh at the look on Felix's face. He was passed another, one he actually got to wave, and a deafening whistle burst through the room. The boys recoiled, yet Ollivander did not so much as flinch as he pulled this wand away, as well. It took five more tries, Ollivander's stack entirely depleted, before they made progress. He disappeared back into the stacks, muttering to himself as Felix grumbled about him not being very good at his job. He looked thoughtful as he returned, and the box he carried had clearly not been handled for a good while.

Felix looked wary as Ollivander passed it to him, but the difference was instantly apparent. Dimitri could see the connection between the pair spilling over Felix's face as it lit in wonder, his slender fingers adjusting more tightly around the textured handle. It was long and elegant, delicately tapered to a finer point than most wands. Felix twitched it lightly, and immediately the dust whisked away from its box, leaving it spotless. Subtle, but the effect was clear. He'd found it. “Excellent!” Ollivander proclaimed. “My, it always winds up being quite an ordeal when I find an acacia owner.” He chortled, moving back around the counter to ring up the purchase on his register. “Acacia and phoenix tail feather, eleven inches precisely. Brittle.” Felix bristled at the last comment, delivered wryly, and Dimitri struggled not to laugh again. “That is going to be a rather difficult wand, young man.” Felix came forward to pay, scowling.

“I can handle it.” He grabbed the box without being prompted when he'd paid, the delicateness with which he closed it before he tucked it away at odds with his defensive tone. He took Dimitri's seat and settled in to examine his new tool at length. “Good luck,” he muttered as Dimitri moved forward.

Dimitri's hands tingled as he stepped onto the low platform for measuring. He wiped them roughly on his trousers, fighting the sweat that began to collect. His throat was suddenly tight with a great deal of nerves, though he couldn't imagine why. He was quite sure Ollivander would be prepared to combat any surprises, much as he had instantly gotten one of Felix's fires under control. Still, he was uneasy as Ollivander's magical tape swirled about his body. Those intense eyes of his were made all the more unsettling by his thick glasses, and Dimitri kept his own gaze trained firmly away from the scrutiny. He was only doing his job, he assured himself as the voices stirred. Ollivander clicked his tongue against his teeth sharply when the tape vanished, and disappeared without so much as a word. “I don't like him,” Felix drawled from his chair. Dimitri couldn't help but secretly agree, even as he lightly chided his friend for his rudeness.

Ollivander returned with fewer boxes than he had retrieved before. His face was oddly solemn as he selected the first, and he ran his hands over it with a tenderness that spoke unmistakably as compassion as he hooked his fingers under the lid. The wand that lay wrapped in the sheer fabric within was made of a pretty and multi-toned wood, and Dimitri's heart leapt lightly as he looked upon it for the first time. It looked a bit shorter than Felix's, and was noticeably thicker, from the wide and intricately carved handle all the way through to the blunted tip. It was sturdy and handsome, and when Ollivander slid it into his lightly shaking hand, Dimitri felt it still in an instant. The wood was warm beneath his fingertips, and the strength it radiated into him banished the disembodied voices with all the brevity of a book snapping closed. Ollivander didn't seem remotely surprised by the instant match. He had, in fact, moved to put the other boxes away before Dimitri had had time to register his own reaction.

“Fir,” Ollivander began, shuffling much more somberly back to his register. “And dragon heart string. Ten and one half inches. Sturdy.” Dimitri felt numb, though not necessarily in a bad way as he listened. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about Ollivander making such an easy match with him, where Felix had been such a struggle mere moments before. Picking it apart seemed useless, however, and Dimitri jumped to pay for his wand at Ollivander's expectant look. His hand closed lightly over Dimitri's fingertips as he passed him the galleons, and the boy looked at him, startled. “May it guard you well,” he murmured.

“Uh, right.” Dimitri tugged his hand back, perhaps a might too sharply, and hurried to join Felix at the door. “Thank you very much for your assistance, Mr. Ollivander,” he called as they retreated, remembering his manners at the last moment. Felix vocalized his dislike of the odd man again when the door snapped shut behind them once more, and this time Dimitri did not bother to disagree.

They rejoined with Rodrigue when they caught sight of him waving to them down the street. He was standing in front of a store that looked, quite literally, wild. There were a great many creatures in cages of varying size and style, climbing about and screeching at passerby. The windows were dirty, streaked with poor attempts to remedy the state, and the ground before it was strewn with bits of hay. He beamed at them as they approached. “How did it go?” He asked, his smile only lightly faltering at their expressions. “No trouble, I take it?”

“He was weird and rude,” Felix griped, even as Dimitri assured Rodrigue that everything had gone just fine.

“Yes, well, Ollivander has always been seen as rather...eccentric.” He searched for the word for a long moment, and Dimitri smiled. “Yet there is no wand maker quite like him. That much is certain. I hope you were not rude to the man, Felix,” his voice held a warning, and Dimitri assured Rodrigue that he had been fine. Really, he had been quite tame considering how on edge he'd been in the weeks following Dimitri's shift in demeanor. Dimitri moved to turn the conversation away, asking after the store they were standing beside. “Ah, yes!” Rodrigue clasped his hands together, looking eager. “I thought the two of you might like to pick out a companion for school.” They both perked up at this, and he happily led the eager children inside.

It may just have been the noisiest room Dimitri had ever stepped into. Animals – far, far too many animals for such a tight space – hooted and crowed and screeched and growled from every nook, cranny, and facet of the shop. Some ran freely across the floor, or clambered across cages. Others blinked at them from corners of their enclosed homes, cautious eyes following their movements through the shop. Felix paused to examine a cat, its fur sleek and handsome and face peaceful as it lay sprawled over a cushion on a windowsill. Dimitri followed Rodrigue further inside, eyes wide as he considered the abundance of creatures around them. “Now, an owl is always a reasonable option,” Rodrigue was telling him, “but of course we have many family owls, and the school has an abundance for the students to make use of. So do not feel obligated.” Dimitri nodded mutely. He suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.

Glenn came to find them while they picked through the stacks of cages, grinning as he held up a large snake. It wound smoothly over his arms, tongue flicking at the air while its pretty diamond patterned scales shifted over his new friend's skin. “Absolutely not,” Rodrigue told him at once, and Glenn huffed at him. They fell into an argument about how he was not permitted two pets at the school, and Dimitri left them to it. He honestly wasn't quite sure where to start – the idea of bringing a pet to school hadn't been one he had considered. Still, the thought was an appealing one.

It took him awhile, as he came to learn he wasn't much a cat or a bird person. While he found the toads endearing, he felt no attachment to one as a pet. His school letter had mentioned the three creatures as recommendations, but the students were allowed to petition other types of pets, and Rodrigue assured him any would be accepted so long as they were not overly destructive or inconveniently large. Felix came to find him after awhile, his arms wrapped around the cat from the window. Dimitri had paused to watch a cluster of bats, finding himself smiling at the wide and inky eyes that peered at him behind their leathery wings. “Hey, bats are cool,” Felix praised his apparent choice. “One would suit you.”

Dimitri found himself agreeing. They were both fascinating and, admittedly, quite adorable. An attendant stopped to open the cage for him, and Dimitri reached tentatively inside. Immediately one of the smaller ones dropped from its perch, squeaking when it collided with his palm. Startled, he held still, and when it shuffled about to face him properly, the tip of its wings pulling at his arms, he felt his face break into a wide smile. “That one's barely more than a baby,” the attendant told him as he lifted her gently to his chest. “She'll grow quite a bit bigger than that.” She was, apparently, a short nosed fruit bat, carefully bred to be able to endure the cold climates of the area. Dimitri could feel her heartbeat pattering against his palm. He decided that he had no desire to put her back down.

“What will you name her?” Felix asked when they were leaving the shop sometime later. Dimitri wasn't quite sure, just yet. He asked Felix the same, and the boy smiled. “I'm naming her Savant.” Glenn scoffed, and Felix scowled at him. “It's a good name,” he defended, voice hot. Dimitri found it to be fitting, at least, but he kept the thought to himself as the brothers began to squabble. For a few wonderful hours, everything in his world felt just as it always had. Better, even.

He held onto this new warm memory like a lifeline, another precious thing to keep him grounded in sanity amid the storm his mind seemed determined to become.


	3. Chapter Three: Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fraldarius family returns to Diagon Alley to complete their school shopping. Friends both new and familiar await them there, and their excitement to begin their life as students at Hogwarts grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close to Hogwarts! Next chapter will be the Hogwarts Express and, if that winds up being too little to fill what my typical chapter length has been, it will also include the sorting.
> 
> In this chapter we run into some familiar faces from both worlds. I hope you enjoy the ways I've chosen to wind them together! Also, I would like to make note that I have decided to set this story in our current generation - the late 2010's/early 2020's. I've come to decide that it will cause little to no issue with the parent HP world, and it will give us some fun interactions with modern things. If you can think of a problem this will present, please let me know before I elaborate on it too far!

The following weekend came upon the Fraldarius family quite quickly. The house had been a bit chaotic in the days following as the mounting energy of their journey to Hogwarts crept ever near. Glenn had fallen into focusing on his flying skills, keen to retain his position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. At the same time, Felix had taken to researching the school's four houses with a drive that edged on obsession. “I don't want to just be a Gryffindor, all because of father and Glenn,” he asserted to Dimitri. “Some books say that the hat will listen to you if you don't like a house,” he'd explained when questioned on the intense study. Dimitri didn't quite understand Felix's dislike of the traditional house of his family, merely for the fact that so many had been a part of it in the past. His opinion was made all the more concerning when Dimitri considered that he, himself, would likely be placed in Gryffindor house. The idea of not sharing a living space with his dearest companion made his chest tight and provoked the harsh voices of his mind.

Nonetheless, he supported his friend. “I'm sure the hat will make the right decision. Though I still wholly disagree that Slytherin is a good fit for you.” Felix twisted his face unhappily at Dimitri's words as they made their way to the entrance hall. It was time for them to return to Diagon Alley and finish their remaining shopping.

“You only say that because you, like everybody else, think Slytherin is nothing but dark wizards,” Felix griped. “It's not true, you know. Plenty of really good people went to that house.” Dimitri was aware of this, of course. It simply did not change the fact that for the past several decades, the type of people whom had gravitated to the house of the serpent had also been the type of people more willing to follow the house's most notorious alumni. “Besides,” Felix continued, his voice an anchor against the sudden swell of hissing in Dimitri's mind, “my books say that their common room's window looks out into the lake. Isn't that cool?”

“It sounds scary,” Dimitri admitted. The pair collected their cloaks and settled into the low chairs by the fireplace as they waited for the Rodrigue and Glenn to join them. They were quiet for several long moments, Felix distracted by the arrival of Savvy. Her nickname had been given within an hour of her arrival at the estate, and had stuck only at her owner's approval. She purred loudly as she arched into his outstretched hand, her sleek fur glinting in the candlelight. “You're wrong, you know,” Dimitri said after awhile. Savvy pawed at Felix's buttons unhappily when his attention fell back to Dimitri, blinking. “I don't think Slytherin's not good for you because of its reputation. I just don't think you fit what the books say matches the house.” Dimitri didn't vocalize the fact that Felix was far enough from ambitious that he was near opposite to it – it almost seemed rude to say. He chose not to remind his friend that he was not terribly cunning, for the same reason.

Glenn's scoffing voice interrupted Felix's reply, his expression dark. “Don't tell me my baby brother wants to be a dirty snake!” Felix scowled at him and Savvy turned to hiss, her tail twitching in irritation. Not for the first time, Dimitri marveled at how sensitive to Felix she already seemed to be.

“I am not a baby,” Felix complained, “and there's nothing wrong with Slytherin house!”

“Well that's simply not true.” Rodrigue's voice signaled his arrival. The boys rose to join him at the mantle when he hurried over, his face apologetic. “I'm very sorry I'm late, you three. There's never any telling when the office is suddenly going to demand unreasonable amounts of my time.” He collected the jar from its ring and passed it among them. Felix's voice was petulant as he murmured under his breath about just how frequently the office did this to his father, but he did not press the issue. It was not like it ever got any of them very far. “I ran into Sirius as I was leaving, so Ingrid is probably only just getting there, as well.” He paused, then, pulling the jar from Felix's hand and frowning at him. “Felix, you cannot bring Savvy with you.”

“Here we go,” Glenn mumbled to Dimitri, smiling in the pair's direction. Dimitri sighed. The shops would be half sold out of their school supplies by the time they managed to get across the mantle. Rodrigue fought to keep an argument from rising, insisting to his tearful son that the only reason she had to remain behind was due to their necessary trip to the family vault.

“The journey would be terrifying for her, do you truly want that?” Felix's lower lip trembled and he looked sullenly away. He buried his nose in the back of Savvy's neck and Dimitri heard him murmur a quiet apology against her fur. It made him smile; it was nice to see Felix so openly close with her. “There's a good man,” Rodrigue praised him when he finally relented and set her down. She slinked away without a backwards glance, and he turned to the fireplace again. “Let's get a move on, shall we?”

The trip on the Floo was wholly more unpleasant than usual that day. The strange realm of travel spun Dimitri and Felix in a nauseating spiral as it held them at their destination, awaiting room to spit them through the crowded fireplace. They collided roughly with a small family in front of them when it finally shot them out, and Dimitri hurried to apologize even as he restrained Felix from starting a fight with the teenage boy whose leg he had tripped over. Rodrigue stumbled suddenly into their backs and they quickly decided to move away, struggling to the back of the pub. “It would seem half of England thought today the best to do their shopping,” Rodrigue muttered as they moved. Dimitri nodded in earnest. Perhaps they should have bought everything a few days ago, after all.

They ran into Ingrid and her family just beyond the entrance to the alley. She waved to them as they pressed through and they eagerly came, happy to step away from the bloated crowd. She threw her arms around Felix and Dimitri in turn, excitedly voicing her happiness that they'd made it. “Dad said yours had been really busy at work, today,” she explained.

“That damned place sucks every ounce of time and energy it can find from its employees,” her father chimed behind her. He grinned at the look Rodrigue gave him and held up his hands in mock defense. “It's the truth!” He laughed. Rodrigue shook his head in exasperation, but he was smiling as the two gave each other a friendly hug. Sirius and he had been in the same house and year as him in Hogwarts, along with Dimitri's own father and several more rather storied men. It had been an eventful seven years, they would laugh whenever they reflected on the time. “Glad you made it out,” Sirius told Rodrigue with warmth.

“You really should consider Sirius' offer again,” Ingrid's mother said. “You would enjoy yourself so much more in business than politics.” Her voice was musical, with an accent that had grown ever lighter in the time that Dimitri had known her. Portia Black was a muggle woman, and a stunning one at that, whom had once been a model for magazines about muggle vehicles called motorcycles. Ingrid had inherited her mother's thick golden hair and her vivid green eyes, which crinkled attractively when she smiled in greeting at the Fraldarius family. Dimitri's throat pricked with something sharp when he returned the greeting, and he felt his cheeks flush lightly with shame.

The scandal of the marriage between Portia and Sirius – the only surviving male heir of the ancient Black family – had caused a storm whose effects were still painfully apparent. The small family's name was mud in the pureblood community these days, much to the delight of Ingrid's father. It was the very reason Sylvain had sought Ingrid's friendship in the first place, this to the girl in question's great exasperation. It was also the reason her mother's strikingly beautiful face gleamed with a large, wicked scar. It twisted from one cheekbone all the way down over her full lips, which had been mutilated in the process, and continued to her chin. It was the result of torture she had faced at the hands of one of Sirius' cousins, Glenn had once whispered to the boys. Dimitri had always fervently believed that this made the radiant woman glow all the brighter – the mark a reminder of how very strong she had been to survive whatever wicked events had taken place that night.

Sirius wrapped a loving arm around his wife's waist and buried his face unabashedly into her neck. Dimitri smiled as she began to laugh and swat at him playfully, Ingrid's voice rising sharply with embarrassment as she pressed them to remember that they were in public. “That offer gets more tempting by the day, honestly.” Rodrigue distracted them carefully, and Ingrid gave him a grateful smile.

“Come by and see the workshops, then!” Sirius insisted, his sharp eyes alight with excitement. “You can come after the children head off to school. Ministry be damned!”

“Yeah!” A new voice joined them, and Sirius' pleased face twisted abruptly into a dark scowl. Sylvain sauntered over, pulling Ingrid immediately into a tight hug. He smirked over her shoulder at Sirius. “Damn the ministry!” Felix snorted with amusement at Sylvain's antics. Dimitri wondered idly, not for the first time, if their friend had some sort of death wish. Ingrid pulled back from Sylvain and scolded him for speaking so inappropriately ill of the government in front of one of its highest officials, and he complained that he had only been agreeing with her father.

“That mouth is going to get you in a world of trouble one day, boy,” Sirius spat at him. Despite what Dimitri regarded as a great many similarities between them, the two had always gotten along terribly.

“Come now, my love,” Portia crooned, smoothing her fingers through her husband's wild hair, “leave the boy be.” Sylvain turned to Mrs. Black with a glowing smile and bowed to her.

“Mrs. Black, you are looking stunning, as always,” he gushed. She laughed at his ridiculous antics and firmly held her husband back from taking the bait.

“I believe it is time for us to make our way to Gringotts, boys. What do you say?” Rodrigue held his arm out for the boys to follow him. “We'll catch up, Sirius, Portia,” he nodded to them each in turn. Portia beamed and bid them farewell. Ingrid followed her mother to a nearby shop with gratitude as the others left, scowling at the foolish argument her friend and father were falling into.

“Men,” Dimitri heard her grumble before the crowd cut view of them away. He smiled.

The crowds outside the great wizarding bank were not nearly as dense, and Dimitri felt himself relaxing. His eyes widened with wonder as they stepped inside, stricken as ever by the sheer grandness of the bank. He gave the goblins they passed what he hoped was a friendly and respectful look, though they never made it easy to know how they'd taken it. The one working beside the clerk who was assisting them fixed him with a sneer that made the back of his neck prickle, and he looked uncomfortably away. Here, too, many eyes followed him, beady and flashing among the heavily wrinkled faces. His past was well known throughout the wizarding community, though he wondered exactly how the notoriously unfriendly race of goblins interpreted it. The followers of the man who had slain his family had been dreadful to the goblins. Then again, it was far from a stretch in the treatment they received from everyone else.

“Do you have his key?” The goblin's question startled Dimitri at his wandering thoughts, and he blinked rapidly to clear his mind. His key? Rodrigue shifted and pulled a small fold of fabric from within his cloak, which he held up for the attendant to see. He simply sneered and nodded, waving one of his standing coworkers over. Dimitri looked at his godfather questioningly as he followed the small creature to the far wall.

“I thought it was high time you visited your own vault,” Rodrigue told him gently, his quiet words missed by Glenn and Felix as they eagerly rushed into the dark track room beyond. Dimitri's chest tightened and he swallowed against a sudden weight in his throat. His own vault? He had never even considered the idea that he'd had one. Rodrigue squeezed his shoulder before they joined the others, climbing carefully into the cart that had slid to the platform to retrieve them. Dimitri dragged his suddenly clammy palms over his pants as they sat, trying to focus past the uncomfortable tightness in his chest. Normally the young boy would be beside himself with excitement – he enjoyed the thrill of the Gringotts carts just as much as the brothers did. Yet a phantom root had come to twist itself around his gut, and he found that he could not think much beyond the pain of it.

Dimitri clung tightly to the sides of the car as they plummeted into the darkness, the rushing thrill of every drop and turn colliding with his nerves to dizzying effect. Felix had to practically drag him out of his seat when they finally came to a rest, far in the deepest reaches of the bank. Dimitri's legs felt akin to jelly as he struggled along behind his family. He barely registered the normally distressing events of getting past the dragon that guarded the ancient treasures that found their home here. Her distressed roars echoed down the corridor after them, and by the time they came to stop at the Fraldarius family vault, he felt his mind slowly catching up to his surroundings. He blinked against the dazzling bits of light suddenly flickering before him, gleaming piles of gold spilled across towering stacks of treasures casting rainbow hued specks across the dark stone around them.

Rodrigue passed two handsome coin purses to his sons to fill for themselves, warning them firmly that whatever they took was to last them until Christmas. He turned to Dimitri when they dashed forward and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Come,” he bid, and the younger boy obeyed. They didn't have very far to walk – a winding metal staircase and a single short hallway separated the Fraldarius vault from that of the Blaiddyd's. Dimitri's tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth as he raised his eyes to the crest above the large door, and he squeezed tightly over the key his godfather slipped into his palm. “This is by no means me telling you that I will not support you financially,” Rodrigue assured him as he passed it numbly to the waiting goblin. “You have my support, however you may need it, forever. You are, however, also still a Blaiddyd. And I believe your father would want it to be his gold in your pockets when you set off to school for the first time.” His voice cracked a bit under his soft words, and tears pricked threateningly at the back of Dimitri's eyes. His grief was audibly echoed in the man behind him, and it set of a deep pain in his chest.

You are a burden. His father's voice snarled at him. Dimitri jumped, recoiling from the opening door. Rodrigue hurried forward, worried. Dimitri prayed he mistook it for being overwhelmed by seeing his family's vault for the first time. My dearest friend was stripped of me and left only with you, a sniveling reminder of his pain. He clenched his fist against the snarling words until he felt his nails bite into his palm, and turned to offer Rodrigue a shaky smile. “I'll be alright,” he reassured the concerned man. “It was just...unexpected.” Rodrigue was frowning, eyebrows still knit tightly together, but he nodded. He stepped reluctantly back, hand slipping from Dimitri's shoulder, and gestured to the vault.

Dimitri had long known that his family had been very well off, just as the Fraldarius family was. He had not known, however, the true extent of that wealth. The vault before him stretched much further back than his adoptive family's, the piles of gold somehow ridiculously larger still than those he'd seen a moment before. His father's gold. His mind replayed Rodrigue's words as he carefully stepped through. His father's, and every Blaiddyd that had come before him. Now there was no soul left in the world to share anything before him with, and Dimitri found himself feeling suddenly and overwhelmingly alone. Rodrigue passed him a coin purse of his own, woven with heavy and smooth velvet died in the deepest shades of blue. “Enough to last you until the holidays,” Rodrigue reminded him.

Dimitri did not linger in the vault longer than he had to. The weight of his claustrophobia was beginning to press at him, and the breath he took when they finally stepped back onto the bright streets above was deep enough to make his lungs pinch. They made their way back to the main cluster of shops, eagerly chattering about what things they would treat themselves to now that they had money of their own to spend. Rodrigue parted with the boys at the cafe they'd visited earlier in the week, reminding them to behave themselves and to be sure to purchase everything on their lists. Felix turned to Dimitri as his father retreated, joining Mr. and Mrs. Black at one of the patio tables. “Where do you want to head first?” Felix asked. Dimitri thought about it, and dug his list from his cloak for ideas.

“I'm heading out to get my robe fitting out of the way,” Glenn told them. He looked very displeased. “It's always too hot and stuffy in there. Best to get it done at the beginning so you can come back and pick your order up when you're done.” Dimitri and Felix decided to join him, and together they set off. A wave of suffocating warmth barreled into them as they opened the door, near unbearable against the summer heat. Dimitri's still uneasy stomach churned, and he looked miserably to the line at the back of the store. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to be back home, exploring the woods with his still nameless little bat.

A harried looking woman came bustling over. She pressed her frizzy and matted gray curls back from her sweating forehead and visibly took stock of them. “Hogwarts?” She asked, and they all nodded.

“We need some casual wear, too,” Dimitri told her, and she beamed.

“Well, there's some refreshing news. Feels like my casuals never come off the shelves in August. All right, I'll hold your spots in line. Have a look about.”

“Why is it so disgustingly hot in here?” Felix asked her when she collected her clipboard. She scowled, and answered, clearly not for the first time that day, that the store was impossible to cool when it was so crowded. They left her muttering half mad sounding theories that somebody had jinxed the walls. Dimitri tugged his cloak from his neck and hung it carefully by the door before he worked his fingers at his collar, seeking some whisper of air for his heated skin. None of them handled warmth very well. Perhaps due to the fact that Grenwich, situated in the far north of the country, rarely saw temperatures topping seventy degrees. Winters saw the trackers plummet well below zero, and one tended to grow accustomed to the cold.

Dimitri collided with a soft something when he rounded one of the densely packed racks. He jumped quickly back, stuttering out an apology. A pretty blonde girl of about his age had been leaning against one of the mirrors, her thick hair wound up in one hand that held it high from her sweating neck. The other was tangled in her long and heavy looking skirt, which she appeared to be using to fan herself. Her already flushed cheeks reddened when she looked at Dimitri, stumbling over insistent apologies with equal earnest. “I'm so sorry, I just – it's just so warm, I had needed to stop to catch my breath, I swear I wasn't being strange, I just-”

“It's fine!” He insisted over her embarrassed rambling. “Really, I'm the one who ran into you. Please, don't be sorry.” She looked relieved. She righted herself and turned to face him fully. “I find it insufferable in here, too,” he admitted to her. “Uh, my name is Dimitri. It's nice to meet you.” She beamed, and there was a radiant kindness to it that rendered the shadows in his mind powerless.

“I'm Mercedes! It's a pleasure to meet you, too.” She giggled then, her delicate fingers moving to cover her lips. She was very modestly dressed, Dimitri noted. It had to make the store worse yet. “Really, I would have turned right around and picked another place to shop for my magic-people clothes, but, well. The first store I stopped in was very insistent that this would be the only one that would serve me.” The subtle frown on her face tugged at Dimitri. He could never understand what possessed anyone to be unkind to those who were so clearly warm of heart. After a moment, her words sunk in, and realization dawned on him.

“Magic people?” He asked. “Are you, uhm...”

“I was born to a muggle family, yes,” she smoothly finished. She didn't sound offended, but it was clear that she had come to learn that her situation wasn't entirely common. “An official from the...the Ministry, I believe they call it? A nice man from there brought me to do my shopping today. I lost track of him rather quickly though, I'm afraid.” The two began to walk among the racks together as they fell into conversation.

“I thought the parents of muggle born folk were allowed to accompany their children to the Alley?” Dimitri's heart sank at her sad expression, and he knew what she was going to say before it was past her lips.

“My parents are no longer with me, unfortunately.” He silently kicked himself for not making the connection on his own. She turned that friendly smile back to him, however, seeming unbothered. “Really, though, I've been getting so much help! I got a very generous donation from a fund in the Ministry, and the man who has been assisting me has been very kind. I'm so thankful.” Dimitri decided that he very much liked this girl already, and resolved to be her friend. He would be sure that she would not be made to feel like an outsider in her new world. It had always struck him as a very lonely and overwhelming thing, this idea that some children were one day told that they were a part of a world that they had previously had no idea even existed. The knowledge that these children were often treated quite badly had always made him very angry.

“You were kicked out of another store?” He asked her after they had talked for awhile. They had been summoned to the fitting area, their other selections already tucked into their arms. Mercedes hadn't picked very much, opting only for a long lavender cloak from the second hand section, along with a pair of worn yet lovely looking navy boots. She nodded at Dimitri's question, and Felix, having heard them on their approach, scowled as well.

“Which store?” He asked her, his voice hostile. Mercedes looked a bit taken aback, and he visibly relaxed himself. “Uh, sorry. I heard you talking.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” she assured him. The three of them stepped onto their stools and raised their arms for the workers. The two exchanged introductions, and the tailors tutted as Mercedes explained what had happened to her upon her arrival in Diagon Alley. “Really, if they want to lose business for a silly reason like that, then that is there problem.” She shrugged, and then giggled, apologizing for the measurement she had messed up in the process. The boys invited her to join them when the fitting was over, and together the three of them stepped back outside with great sighs of relief. Dimitri was hoping this trend of gasping for air when he left a place would come to an immediate end. Glenn ran into a few of his classmates then, and bid them to be careful as he left to join them.

“Father will be angry with him,” Felix mused at his retreating back. He shrugged, unconcerned. “You guys want to get our potions equipment, next? I bet it isn't hot in there.” They agreed in an instant. The dimly lit Slug and Jigger's was blessedly as cool as they had hoped, even if a multitude of strange and not wholly pleasant smells permeated the damp air. Here, they ran into Annette, whom Felix happily greeted. She jumped and jerked the scoop in her hand in surprise, sending the beetle casings she had been collecting scattering across the floor. Dimitri hurried to help her clean it up before the clerk, currently busy assisting other customers, could notice.

“Don't sneak up on me like that, Felix!” She squeaked, face pink with embarrassment as she scrambled at the mess. Felix ducked to help too, swatting her away to stop her from making it worse while Mercedes giggled. “Ohhh, I'm so, so sorry! Really, I've got it, you two, you don't have to do that.” Felix commanded her to keep her voice down before she drew attention, and she snapped her mouth shut, glancing to the shop keep nervously. Noticing Mercedes, she smiled and introduced herself, her bright and cheerful voice seeming to have forgotten the mess already. Dimitri chuckled and straightened with Felix when they were done. Annette had always been notoriously scattered and clumsy, and he had always found it very endearing. It was nice to see that it wasn't likely to change any time soon.

The growing group laughed and teased each other through their potion ingredient shopping, each of them cracking up when Mercedes read the list of things she needed for the first time. “Really, how are any of these magical?” She protested when her eyes fell over 'dried maggots' and 'frozen mealworms'. “And they're for potions, right? So you're supposed to drink these things?” She looked lightly green. “I don't think I'm going to like studying this at all.” It was fun and fascinating to hear her perspective as they went about their shopping, and each of them had an abundance of questions for her. Annette was particularly interested in her choice of summer fashion as they left the store, making their way to Potage's for cauldrons.

“I'm usually jealous of how light and airy a lot of the muggle fashions are,” Annette explained while they walked. “I've never seen one dressing as heavily as a witch in the summer.” Mercedes explained to Annette that this was because of the place she had been raised; a convent for young girls studying to be nuns out in the countryside. This greatly intrigued them all, and they listened, fascinated, as she explained her religion and the place that had raised her. Time began to fly by as they chattered, about each other, their summers, and their thoughts on school. By the time they had made it to the bottom of their lists, they had become fast friends.

Their last stop was Flourish and Blott's, and there they ran back into Ingrid and Sylvain. “There you guys are!” Ingrid looked exasperated. “We've been looking for you for awhile.” Dimitri apologized, guilty for forgetting, and Sylvain moved quickly forward to introduce himself to his and Felix's companions.

“It's a pleasure to meet you two,” he greeted with all the flowery over-sincerity that seemed to be his default state. They laughed and introduced themselves in turn, and when Annette caught onto and subsequently lost interest in Sylvain's little game, he turned his attention fully to Mercedes. The bookshop was rather empty when they made their way inside, similar to the last few stops. The hour was growing late, and much of the crowds had subsided. Annette and Mercedes parted from them, here, both eager to get lost in the towering stacks. Sylvain and Ingrid talked about their own experience shopping, Sylvain laughing as he recounted what sounded like a very time with Ollivander, with whom he had gotten on with quite well. “Dogwood and phoenix tail feather,” he told them when they asked, retrieving it from his robes. “He said it was a weird combination, but I take that as a compliment.”

“He also called it, what was the word?” Ingrid paused for effect. “Oh, that's right. Dangerously flamboyant.” Sylvain grinned, wholly unashamed. Ingrid then pulled out her own wand. “My matching wasn't nearly as eventful, but I'm really happy with the result. Mine is cedar and unicorn hair. I'm eager to research the meaning behind the wood.” Dimitri and Felix showed their own wands off in turn, though neither of them were overly eager to share the specifics of their visit. Their opinions of the wand maker seemed starkly at odds with their friends'.

When they were finished, Felix struggled to stifle a yawn beside Dimitri, who felt his own creep out in response. It had been a long and tiring day. “So much for spending the day shopping together,” Sylvain laughed when he noted their finished lists. He flashed his own, shrugging. “You guys want to see if we can have dinner together before we go home?”

Ingrid looked apologetic as she shook her head. “Sorry, Sylvain, but my grandparents are coming to visit to see me before I leave for school, tonight.” None of them had to ask which grandparents she spoke of. Even if her father's parents had still been alive, they certainly wouldn't be in contact with them. Sylvain walked the group to the cafe where their parents were waiting, obviously reluctant to seek out his own family. Sirius scowled at him when they came back into view, and that infuriating grin of Sylvain's split instantly back across his face. He moved to hug Ingrid goodbye and she firmly held out her arm, frowning with disapproval. “If you keep antagonizing my father for fun, he will attack you.” Her warning was as flat as it was serious. “Please don't give him reason to.” Sylvain held up his hands and backed off, acquiescing with a laugh.

Glenn was already waiting with Rodrigue, and the four of them set off without further delay. “I've decided that I hate shopping,” Felix commented idly as they stripped their traveling cloaks away back at the estate.

“You hate everything, lately,” Glenn retorted playfully, ducking quickly away from Felix's irritated swats. An excited mewing sound precluded the arrival of Savvy, who leapt immediately into Felix's outstretched arms. He crooned at her in warm greeting and the two disappeared upstairs to await the summons for dinner. Glenn turned to Dimitri then, cocking his head. “How are you feeling?” Dimitri's reaction was embarrassingly exaggerated in his surprise, an instant betrayal that Glenn had struck upon something. It seemed the time of him not pressing at Dimitri's sudden changes had passed.

“I'm feeling alright, right now,” Dimitri told him. He did not want to lie to Glenn outright, and not simply because he would never get away with it. Glenn had never been a difficult person to confide in, and Dimitri hoped that he would understand that he just didn't wish to discuss it. “I've just been very down, lately. But I'm working on it.” Glenn studied him for a long moment, his dark eyes searching. Finally he relaxed, shrugging.

“Alright, I get it. Just remember that you can talk to me, yeah? About anything.” Dimitri assured him that he was very aware of that, yes. He promised he would come and speak to Glenn when he found the words to express what was happening, and it was enough to appease the older boy. He clapped him on the back and when he left, Dimitri found that he once again felt immensely and indescribably alone.

After dinner was over and his family had retreated to complete their nightly rituals, Dimitri collected his bat from his room and set out onto the grounds. It was a pleasant summer night, and it was not long at all before peace found him. He made his way to the banks of the thin brook that cut through a low point in the hills and settled himself onto the ground, stretched back against the rocks. He placed his bat gently on his knee, smiling as she scrambled eagerly over the fabric of his trousers. He decided to name her Matilda, after a charming girl from a muggle film Ingrid had shown them in the past. He pulled treats he grabbed for her from his cloak, grinning when her round eyes turned eagerly to the new smells.

It was a special sort of happiness, sitting there against the rocks and listening to the gurgling brook while he fed Matilda. While he didn't consider himself an overly solitary person, he did occassionally find great peace in the quiet hours that he was alone. It was the first time he'd found himself being able to actually enjoy such a state since he had begun hearing the disembodied voices, and he was deeply grateful for it. He stretched his tired legs before him with a sigh and tilted his head back to stare at the stars, his hand idly stroking over Matilda's soft back. A quiet and familiar voice came through the dark, and his heart skipped. “Dimitri,” she said, and he turned to find Edelgard standing not ten feet away. “What a pleasant surprise.”

He was grateful for the darkness of evening when he felt his cheeks heat. Edelgard wore the same night gown she'd had on the night he'd seen her on her balcony, earlier in the summer. It made her look ethereal in the moonlight. She came to settle next to him and collected her hair between her hands, tugging it over her shoulder that she may stroke idly over it. “Trouble sleeping, Edelgard?” He asked when he felt he could trust his voice. Despite what Felix liked to tease, he certainly did not harbor a crush on their neighbor. Though he certainly often found himself at a loss for words when she was around.

“The manor is stiffling, sometimes,” she mused. “So much so that even my balcony is not enough air.” He understood this. Sometimes, when his thoughts were too loud or, recently, when the voices were particularly insistent, nothing made Dimitri feel better than distancing himself from his home. Edelgard looked down at Matilda, still climbing across Dimitri's legs. She smiled softly and reached out to stroke over her. “I did not know that you had gotten a pet, Dimitri. A bat is an excellent choice.” Dimitri beamed at her praise.

“Her name is Matilda, I've just decided. I got the approval papers for her from the school this morning.” The bat in question decided that she had grown bored with her climbing and spread her wings to pull herself into the air. Dimitri watched as she went. It was still worrying to watch her fly away, for the fear that she would choose not to return to him. Edelgard tilted her head with curiosity while she watched with him.

“What an interesting choice in name,” she mused. “Like the girl from one of my favorite movies.” Dimitri blinked and tore his gaze from the sky to observe his companion. Movie? She apparently could sense his response and she smiled lightly. “What? You look as if I just told you that I could sprout wings,” she teased.

“I'm just surprised is all,” he stammered. Dimitri blushed and coughed lightly, internally admonishing his struggle with basic conversation. Edelgard's family, the Hresvelg's, were much like Sylvain's. A magical family so old it likely quantified as ancient, they held the common pureblooded mindset that everything having to do with muggles was nothing more than filth. Edelgard's own mother had been disinherited from the family in her infancy upon discovery that she had learned to enjoy muggle made music. The idea that Edelgard, the last child that stood in her family's good graces, had been so bold as to enjoy muggle films, was startling to say the least. Startling and wholly pleasant to hear, he thought. “I named her after the movie called Matilda,” he finally said, and she looked at him with surprise of her own. “Ingrid,” he explained, and she nodded, her face bright with realization.

“Of course, that makes sense. Ingrid's family essentially live as muggles, don't they?” She looked thoughtful when Dimitri confirmed as much. “I haven't had the opportunity to get to know Ingrid. I look forward to seeing that change when we get to school.” Dimitri hesitated on his question, but curiosity won out.

“You're not worried about your family's reaction?” It wasn't a question if their fellow students would gossip about any sort of friendship forming between the two. Word got around the magical community quite quickly. Edelgard lifted an elegant shoulder dismissively.

“If my grandfather is fool enough to take issue with his last heir forming relationships with her classmates, it is no concern of mine,” she told him simply. Dimitri felt his fondness for Edelgard grow. Her stance was a very brave one, and he admired it. In her position, such actions would likely lead to a punishment far more severe than being disowned. He knew that she was aware of this, however, and felt no need to bring it up. Instead their conversation turned to movies, which ones they'd each seen, and what their favorites were. They showed each other their wands, hers a strikingly elegant length of aspen with a dragon heart string core. Dimitri had never known Edelgard to be so talkative, and it was truly refreshing. By the time Matilda rejoined them, their conversation was frequently being broken up by long yawns from both parties. “Have you considered which house you wish to join?” She asked.

“Gryffindor, I think. Perhaps Hufflepuff. What about you?”

“I believe I am best suited to Slytherin,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “Though I think I would fit nicely in Gryffindor, as well. But I favor my ambitions over most anything else, so I believe that Slytherin is the most likely. Though I worry,” she continued, a laugh to her tone, “that my housemates may make me regret that stance. It makes me wonder if I should consider requesting Gryffindor from the hat.”

“Felix spoke of such things, as well. Of Slytherin, and of making requests in your sorting. I had never given much thought to either, if I'm going to be honest,” he admitted.

“It's true that Slytherin has earned quite a dark reputation, isn't it?” She hummed. “But that makes me wish to join the house all the more. To change people's perspective and show them that being cunning, ambitious, and shrewd do not an evil person make.” Dimitri decided that he owed Felix an apology in the morning, and he felt no small bit of shame that it took Edelgard saying much the same as he had to prompt it. Edelgard yawned again, stretching languidly with it, then sighed. “I do not think I can stay awake much longer,” she confessed. “It's getting late, anyway. We should head home, Dimitri.” He rose with her in agreement, and the two parted ways with soft goodbyes. Dimitri held Matilda close to his chest as he picked his way carefully through the dark landscape, feeling all at once exhausted and as excited for the end of the summer than he had thus far been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, look, Edelgard being nice to Dimitri! Lmao that was a real pleasure for me to write, because it's always so sad to watch her rebuke him. Sylvain and Sirius were a lot of fun, as well. I hope you are enjoying the backstories I've assembled for them, and the integration of some of the secondary characters from HP.
> 
> They leave for school in the next chapter! I'm starting it right after I post this, so if you don't see it later today, it will certainly be up for tomorrow. Thank you, dearly, for any of you who are sticking through and still giving this a chance. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated and received with much love. The comment I got for chapter two gave me the energy to finish this, today :)  
(Also I actually contained my excitement long enough to proofread it first, this time, so hopefully there aren't any sloppy typos)


	4. Chapter Four: The Hogwarts Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has finally come for the students of Hogwarts to board the scarlet engine awaiting them at platform nine and three quarters. New friendships and even a rivalry or two come to life as their long journey finally commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're almost there! WOO! There were a lot of distractions, today, between the new wave of DLC releasing and needing to get my wife to an appointment. So while I planned on having this out much earlier in the day, at least I'm getting it out today like I promised!
> 
> *I would like to comment to those who read this before they start that, I'm sorry but I cannot properly type out Hagrid's speech patterns. Rather than butcher it, I decided to write it out normally. Forgive me T_T

The morning of September the first came quick as a lightning strike. Dimitri was sharply woken from his fitful sleep by an unusually excited Felix, eyes blazing as he shook his friend awake. “Come on, Dimitri!” He insisted, relenting only when he managed to pull himself into a sitting position. “The elves have made a huge breakfast with all of our favorite things, and the Ministry gave father a car to use for the day! Hurry _up_.” Dimitri murmured sleepily and worked as quickly to obey as his sluggish mind would allow. Felix bounced restlessly on his heels as he pulled his clothes on and, teasingly, Dimitri paused to look over his packed trunk.

“Perhaps I should double check my list, just to be sure I've got everything.” Felix's eyes narrowed at the statement, keen all at once to the game. He sniffed and turned his head away, muttering about how he'd just have to eat all of the best food himself. Dimitri only laughed at his antics and let him leave ahead of him, hanging back to check on Matilda. Though the light of day did not seem to bother her, she still greatly seemed to prefer the night time and had only just returned home from her hunting trip in the early hours of the morning. He hoped she would be able to sleep through their journey. Satisfied that she was all set he followed after his friend, his excitement slowly building. He greeted the brothers happily when he arrived and noted his godfather's absence with a frown. Glenn grunted at him in response, still clearly half asleep. It would seem that one's fifth first day of school was not nearly as exciting.

The younger boys dug into their meal with relish, and Dimitri offered every elf that came to check on them his warm gratitude. Tilly sniffled when they spoke, her huge eyes glassy. “Tilly will miss the young masters very much,” she warbled miserably. “Will keep their rooms just the way they likes them while they is gone.” He offered her gentle reassurance, honestly feeling quite bad for her and the others. When he and Felix joined Glenn at Hogwarts, they would be left to an empty house a great majority of the time. Rodrigue had been speaking often of how much more he would be working while they were gone. The whole lot of them gathered later in a cluster by the door to bid them goodbye, watching sadly as their young master's trunks were lifted into the enchanted Ministry vehicle.

Rodrigue was still absent when the last of it was packed, but the official who was assisting them insisted to the boys that he would meet them at the station. “I can't believe he went into work this morning,” Glenn said as they climbed into the comfortable car. Felix nodded in agreement, and Dimitri kept his gaze purposely averted from the tears his friend was fiercely trying to fight off. He tried not to judge his godfather too harshly on his dedicated work ethic. It felt like it would be vastly disrespectful to comment on, given everything the man had done for him. But he could not help but feel upset with him as he looked at his sad friends. “He's not going to see us again until Christmas. I can't _believe_ him.” Glenn kicked angrily at the seat across from him, and Dimitri noted with a pang that Felix had lost his little battle.

The car ride was long and miserably quiet, the silence cut only by the deep rumbling of Savvy as she nuzzled continually against Felix's face. It made Dimitri long for Matilda's company, but she was sleeping soundly in the dark quiet of the trunk. He peered out the tinted window when they finally pulled up to the train station, and relief bloomed hot in his chest when he spied Rodrigue, conspicuous in his vibrant emerald robes, waiting by the entrance. He nudged Felix and pointed and, though he feigned anger, his relief was noticeable. Glenn seemed quite bitter still, however, when he tensely greeted his father. Rodrigue was heavy with regret when he regarded the three of them. Glenn side stepped his father's apologies and pushed right through the entrance with his loaded cart. Felix, seemingly unable to hold onto his anger, clung to his father's waist and buried his face against his stomach. Rodrigue rubbed soothingly at his youngest son's back, and turned his sorrowful eyes to Dimitri. “I got here as fast as I could,” he finished his apologies. Dimitri nodded and offered him a weak smile in which he hoped conveyed understanding.

The three of them soon followed after Glenn, keeping close together in the crowded muggle building. Dimitri and Felix struggled to keep their loaded carts from spilling their contents with every bump and nudge from passerby. They were drawing a lot of attention along the way, with a many a curious eye following the oddly dressed trio and their bizarre luggage. Dimitri did notice, however, that the intrigued stares were noticeably absent by the time they came to a stop at a blank stretch of wall between platforms nine and ten. There was a muggle girl there, a young one with thick brown hair that rested on her shoulders in full, lovely curls. She was gabbing away into a device she held to her face – a smartphone, Dimitri thought. Ingrid owned something similar, and she was quite enamored with it. Rodrigue eyed the girl cautiously as he got the boys into position. Clearly, she shouldn't have been there.

The girl's eyes bugged when she noticed them and she hurriedly tucked her phone away, composing herself as she turned to face them fully. “Hello!” She greeted, her voice bright. “Are you looking for platform nine and three quarters, as well? Nobody has been able to help me find it.” Rodrigue visibly relaxed.

“Are you muggle born, then?” He asked her, to which she nodded. “I'm surprised nobody was sent to assist you. I will see to it that the Ministry is aware of the misstep. It just so turns out that this is the first time for my sons, as well. Come along and I'll show you how it's done.” She flounced over to them and beamed prettily at Felix and Dimitri.

“I'm Dorothea,” she said. “It's a pleasure to meet you.” They returned the greeting happily and waited patiently while she hauled her cart over. It had far less luggage, Dimitri noted, and the bags were distinctively muggle in style. He wondered if she would have ever found her way to the train if she hadn't been sharp enough to linger in the area. Dorothea gasped as Rodrigue explained to them what they would be doing, and clapped with excitement. “Magic is so fun!” She squealed.

Dimitri volunteered to go first. He eyed the very solid looking wall with a slight unease, but his grip was tight and his step did not falter as he charged forward. It was jarring, incredibly so, to see a stretch of stone mere moments away from impact disappear and give way to nothing. He jerked against the unsettling sensation of falling and hurried to move to the side, so as to avoid getting hit in the heels by the next cart. He looked around while Dorothea came hurrying through after him, and laughed as she cried out happily at the sight. “I love the fashion here _so much_!” She enthused, and without further preamble she was gone, swallowed up by the dense crowd. Felix appeared a moment after her with Rodrigue at his back. Felix's pale face broke out into an excited grin, and he hurried over to Dimitri.

Rodrigue sighed as he, too scanned the crowd before coming to join them. “You haven't caught sight of Glenn yet, have you?” He asked, and Dimitri mourned the sadness on his face when he shook his head. It was difficult for him to see any of the Fraldarius men unhappy. “I hope I haven't angered him enough to get onto the train without saying goodbye...” his voice faded at the end, and Felix and Dimitri exchanged a look.

“I'll drag him off to say goodbye if he has, father,” Felix told him, his voice hard.

“You're a good boy,” Rodrigue praised him, ignoring Felix's flushed face when he gave him a hug. “Alright then, let's get you two settled. Ah, I fear I'm going to get choked up. This never gets easy, you know!” Dimitri wasn't quite sure he could handle seeing his godfather cry. At the very least, it would spark an embarrassingly childish reaction in his own self. He looked around the crowd for familiar faces while they moved and examined those he did not recognize with interest. Sylvain and his family were near the train on the far side of the smoky platform, and Dimitri felt a pang of sympathy at the look on his friend's face while his stoic parents seemingly lectured him on their expectations. His elder brother was nowhere in sight, he noted. Next he found Ingrid tightly locked in both of her parents arms, tears shining on all of their cheeks.

The great scarlet engine looming over them sighed out a new puff of steam as an unseen clock chimed a warning of the time. The Weasley family was soon beside them as they unpacked their things, in their own little energetic and chaotic world. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley struggled to direct them all at once, and Annette peeked around her mother to beam at Felix and Dimitri. “It's finally time!” She cried happily, moving to pull them into a hug. “Aren't you guys so excited? I'm practically dying of excitement!” Her mother laughed as she tapped her shoulder and passed over a plump wrapped treat. “Thanks, mom!” She chirped and leaned in to plant a sweet kiss on her cheek. “You're the best.”

“My sweet girl,” her mother beamed, pulling her into a hug. “Ohh, I'm going to miss you terribly!” Her lip trembled and she tightened her grip. She took a moment to collect herself before she pulled away and smiled warmly at her daughter's friends. “Felix, Dimitri, it's so good to see you two. Come here, let me give you a hug, ah, such good boys.” She squeezed them each in turn. “If only -” she began, before cutting herself off and whirling sharply around. “Fred Weasley you drop that this _instant_.” Dimitri hid a laugh behind his hand at her snarl, while Felix openly cackled at his side. The red head held up his hands and gave his mother a wounded expression. She faltered a moment, “or George, or...whoever you are!”

Dimitri was distracted from the exuberant family by Rodrigue, who pulled him into a long and tight hug. “Please try and write with some regularity,” he asked of him as he held him close. “I am always here for you, whatever you may need. Promise me you will remember that.” Dimitri swallowed against a sharp swell of emotion and nodded against his godfather, not trusting the response. He didn't quite know what feeling it was that rolled in his stomach as he pulled away. He was excited – deeply and truly excited – to be going to Hogwarts. Yet this sense of loss, especially when he considered how very alone Rodrigue would be when they were gone, colored it to something bittersweet.

He took hold of the bag he hadn't loaded into the cargo hold and slung it over his shoulder, then hauled Matilda's cage up the steps onto the train while Felix clung to his father in their own goodbye. Dimitri saw, with a sense of great relief, Glenn approaching them from further back, as well. He turned to look down the hall when they were all out of view. It was already quite crowded, and so very loud. Dimitri wove carefully between his screaming and laughing school mates, his eyes peeled for an empty compartment. One eventually caught his eye, inhabited only by Mercedes. He struggled with his burden to free a hand to tug the door open. “Do you mind if I join you, Mercedes?” She looked up with a start, her refocusing eyes signalling she had been lost in thought.

“Dimitri!” She cried. “I would love that. Please, come in, make yourself comfortable.” He thanked her and pushed the door the rest of the way with his foot. Mercedes got up to help him with Matilda's cage, crooning happily at the sleepy bat while Dimitri pushed his bag onto the luggage rack. He gratefully noted that they were on the side of the train that looked out onto the platform, and he leaned to catch sight of his family. “Will Felix be joining us?” Mercedes asked when he settled down, and Dimitri nodded.

“Yes, it looks like he boarded right after me. I'm sure he will come and find us.” He then asked her about the rest of her summer, and listened intently as she spoke of the awkward predicament that was a muggle born witch in a religious convent. Annette joined them as Mercedes explained how they couldn't say that she had gone and left the church, because it would mean she wouldn't have a home to return to for the summer holiday. Instead, the Ministry had given her an elaborate cover scheme, which Dimitri was honestly surprised the nuns had been willing to swallow.

Felix joined them as the train shuddered, steam pouring liberally onto the platform as the brakes were loosed. “Went the wrong way,” he told Dimitri at his questioning look, and he nodded. The group of them clustered at their open window, each leaning out to wave goodbye to their friends and family. Soon they could see them no more, and they all settled back onto their seats. Ingrid joined them a short while later with annoyance written all over her face. “What's the matter?” Felix asked.

“Just a few idiots, nothing unusual,” she sighed and waved her hand dismissively. Dimitri frowned, and his three companions pressed her for details at once. “Guys, seriously, it's nothing. I'm used to dealing with people. I don't want to talk about it.” She dropped onto the bench beside Annette, and the stony look she shot them all cut off any further argument. When she'd had time to relax, she rifled through her bag and pulled out what appeared to be an unusual deck of cards. “How would you guys like to play a game?” She waved it at them and they all eagerly agreed. Together they made a table by stacking their bags carefully between the benches.

“I guess next time we should sit in the dining cart,” Annette giggled as the pile swayed. “Oh, those cards are so cute! It's a game about unicorns?” Ingrid nodded eagerly and explained the rules as she shuffled and dealt the cards. It was fairly easy to pick up, and most of them had a great time. Felix decided he'd had enough after his second loss, however, and got up to explore the rest of the train. The rest of them continued, and the world outside was lit by the fires of early evening by the time Dimitri managed a win. He yelled with happy triumph, laughing as the others congratulated and accused him of cheating, in turn.

An uptick in noise started beyond their compartment, and when they peaked to look, they noted a woman ambling her way along with a cart brimming with treats. Ingrid hurried to collect her coin, while Annette and Mercedes simply retook their seats. Annette fished the wrapped treat her mother had given her earlier from her bag and tugged its wrappings off eagerly. She offered to share with her new friend, who gratefully yet shyly took some, and realization hit Dimitri with a pang. He hurried to collect his own coin purse as the woman arrived at their open door. “Anything from the trolley, de- oh my!” She startled back a bit when Ingrid leapt in front of the door and tittered with amusement at her eager face. Dimitri waited patiently as she proceeded to buy what seemed like a handful of everything, and stifled a laugh as she struggled to keep it all from falling out of her arms.

For Mercedes, who seemed to take great fun in little mysteries and adventures, he selected a box of Bertie Bott's. He got some caramel clusters for Annette, and for all three of them he purchased a drink and some sandwich halves. He blinked when he turned around and noticed that Ingrid had already hoisted some bits of her pile on the laughing and blushing girls. “Really Ingrid, I'm alright,” Annette was giggling. “My mom is a really good cook, I love her packed treats.” Her mild protest died quickly, however, when a small pie was pushed into her hand. “Well, maybe just a bit...” Dimitri cleared his throat as he settled down and held up his purchases sheepishly.

“You two are just too sweet!” Mercedes gushed. She took her things from Dimitri with a grateful smile and examined the box of jelly beans curiously. “I didn't know that the train ride would be very long, so I didn't think to pack a lunch. I thought, with it being magical and all, that we would be there in no time at all! Oh, these sound like fun...” She dug into the box with an eagerness Dimitri was proud to have predicted. Annette would not take her sandwich half from him, though she happily accepted the drink and candy.

“Ingrid already gave me a pie, and I really do like the lunch my mother packed,” she insisted as she pressed the sandwich back at him. “I'm not offended, I'm grateful! Just don't let it go to waste!” She huffed at him and he finally complied. The four of them grew quiet as they ate their fill, with occasional interested hums and laughing splutters breaking the silence as Mercedes sampled her treat. A visitor stopped by as they were finishing up their lunch. Already dressed in her school robes, she had a mess of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

“Have any of you seen a toad?” She asked, her tone mildly annoyed. “A boy named Neville has lost one.” She sighed when they all shook their heads. “If you see one, will you please try and find Neville? He's just beside himself. Oh, and I'm Hermione, by the way. It's nice to meet you all.” They exchanged their own names happily, and she paused momentarily at her departure to tell them that they really should consider getting dressed. “I expect we'll be arriving soon.” And then she was gone, just as abruptly as she had come. Mercedes bounced up from her seat, brimming with excitement.

“I haven't had a chance to try mine on yet,” she explained as she hurried to tug her bag down. “I didn't dare risk getting caught while I was still at home. Oh, they would all think that I was going to worship the devil or something!” She laughed. She began to tug her sweater off and Dimitri flushed a bright pink, spluttering as the other two girls followed suit. “You can just turn around, Dimitri,” Mercedes reminded him with a giggle. He did just that, his ears burning. It was dark outside by the time they'd all finished getting dressed, and Felix came to join them once more.

“I caught Glenn sucking face with some girl,” he told Dimitri while he collected his own uniform. He did not seem nearly as bothered by the idea of changing in front of the girls. “I didn't know he had a girlfriend, did you?” Dimitri shook his head. Felix told his friends about some of the other people he'd run into while he got changed. He'd found Annette's twin brothers harassing her brother Percy, who was in Glenn's house and year. As far as Dimitri could recall, the two did not get along. He had also caught Miklan, Sylvain's elder half brother, holding his head out the window while he yelled about how they were about to pass through a tunnel. Mercedes commented on the cruel joke and Felix shook his head grimly. “He wasn't joking – we really were about to pass through a tunnel.” They all stared at him, shocked. “I stopped him, though!”

“I suddenly feel very thankful for my own brothers.” Annette sounded genuinely surprised. “None of them would _ever_ do something like that to me, or each other. How awful.”

“Miklan's always been like that with Sylvain,” Felix explained. His voice was rough at the thought, and Dimitri wondered which horrible memory dwelled in his mind. They had both saved Sylvain from Miklan in the past. More than once, too. “He's jealous of him because their father never married Miklan's mother. Just Sylvain's.” He was quick to change the subject after, perhaps realizing that his best friend may not appreciate Felix oversharing about his home life. “I met some other first years, too. You'll really like one of them, Ingrid – this kid Ashe. He was curled up with a book from that series you're obsessed with.” Ingrid beamed and eyed the door as if she wanted to leave and seek her fellow fan, that they may gush about the books together. Her face quickly twisted into a scowl when another classmate paused at their empty doorway.

“So this is where you've been,” the newcomer drawled, his dull grey eyes locked on Dimitri. “I've been looking for you. It's been a long time, Dimitri.” The boy was, Dimitri recalled, Draco Malfoy. Though he could recall only a scarce few memories of his life before the night everything had changed, he remembered that he and Draco had once lived near each other. He also recalled, however, Rodrigue's repeated disdain for the entirety of the Malfoy family. “Interesting company you're keeping.” He sneered at this, his lip curling when he noted the three girls sitting opposite his old neighbor.

“These are my friends.” Dimitri's voice was firm and rang with a light warning. He did not like the look on this boy's face one bit. Malfoy straightened and chuckled derisively.

“I see that blood traitor godfather of yours has done little to educate you in the proper people to associate with,” he drawled. He was unable to continue, however, as an enraged Felix had leapt at him. He dug his fingers roughly in the front of Malfoy's robes, snarling.

“Watch how you speak about my father,” he spat. Dimitri jumped to his feet as well, and when the panicked boy fell into the hallway with Felix still attached to his robes Dimitri was there in an instant, blocking the meaty fists of Malfoy's particularly large friend. He swung back at him, teeth bared. Felix over powered Malfoy easily and by the time someone found them the boy was whimpering under his assault. Dimitri finally gained the advantage on his brutish opponent, as well, and threw him roughly to the ground. A pair of shoes jumped to avoid the _thud_ of his thick head, and an agitated teenager with flaming red hair and flashing glasses looked at Dimitri with reproach.

“Fighting before we even reach the school! _Really,_ now. This is inexcusable!” He pointed an angry and accusatory finger at Felix and Dimitri. Malfoy took advantage of Felix's distraction to scramble away from him, his lip trembling in a pathetic pout that lit a flicker of satisfaction deep in Dimitri's stomach. Annette came to the door to try and calm the spluttering boy, who was apparently her brother, Percy. “There is no excuse!” He roared at Annette's explanation. “Violence is never tolerated! It will be detention for you two! First week of school, no less! What a start!”

“Us _two_?” Dimitri gasped disbelievingly. “You can't be serious!” Percy huffed and pushed his glasses up his nose. Malfoy began to simper, accusing Felix and Dimitri of setting upon them unprovoked. The boys were saved the need to defend themselves by Glenn's arrival.

“Oh stuff it, Malfoy,” he sighed. “And get up, you're embarrassing yourself.” Percy gaped at Glenn's rudeness but Malfoy did as he was told, scowling in Glenn's direction. “You stuff it too, Percy,” Glenn snapped at his protests. “Did I hear you talking about detention? Isn't that a prefect's job?” Percy fell silent, then, and his freckled face filled with color.

“Professor Mcgonagall was clearly mistaken,” he finally bit out. “You already show clear favoritism. A disrespect to the badge!” Glenn rolled his eyes and snatched the back of Malfoy's cloak as the boy attempted a retreat.

“Right, and you think that this little snot head and his grunting lackey were just attacked for no reason, do you? Real keen of you, Perce.” Percy bristled at the nickname and Glenn turned from him, finished with their conversation. “Because I didn't see what happened, and we're not even at school yet, I'm going to let this slide for all four of you. Show me your gratitude by dropping it and not letting me catch you doing it again, yeah?”

“But, Glenn -” Felix began, infuriated. Glenn was having none of it.

  
“Felix, don't make me give my own baby brother detention. Drop it!” Felix snapped his mouth shut. Dimitri and the other two nodded at Glenn's questioning look. Malfoy and his buddy slunk away and Percy followed soon after with a prim sniff. Glenn sighed and shook his head, raising his fingers to card through his hair. “I'm never going to hear the end of it with him.” He grumbled, eyes following Percy. “Be good,” he commanded the others, and set back down the corridor. Felix followed Dimitri back to their seats, grumbling about betrayal, and hauled the door shut behind him with a loud bang.

An inky darkness pressed to the windows of the scarlet engine by the time it finally whispered to a stop. The hour was late, and Dimitri's stomach grumbled with an insistent need for food. They clambered eagerly from the train, much of the older students hanging back to watch with amusement as the newcomers dashed outside. There was a light chill to the air, and Dimitri drank it in happily. He hung close to the others and together they moved hesitantly across the station platform, suddenly realizing they hadn't the slightest idea of where to go. They were saved from wondering quickly, however, when a booming voice called out to them. “First years! First years, this way!” They turned in unison and a wave of startled gasps whispered through the group. The largest man any of them had ever seen stood at the end of the platform. Dimitri was fairly certain Felix could sit in the massive hand that held his lantern aloft.

A much shorter man stood beside him. He had a kind face that was lit with an eager excitement as he echoed his colleague's summons. A girl that Dimitri did not recognize was the first to skip forward, tugging a very nervous seeming girl after her. “C'mon, Marianne! I want to get a good boat!” Boat? Dimitri thought. Glenn and Rodrigue had never mentioned anything about boats. The brave girl was closely followed by a boy whom had stopped to introduce himself on the train: Claude, Dimitri remembered. He had recently immigrated from America to live with his grandparents in Ireland. Slowly the rest of the group followed them, an excited and nervous chatter rising amid their ranks. Someone bumped into Dimitri. He bit back a startled laugh when he saw them; they had drawn the hood of their cloak fully down their head, and further hid their face with their billowing sleeves. They uttered a shrill little squeak and stumbled away from him, colliding next with Felix.

“Put your hands down so you can see where you're going,” he snapped at them, pushing them back forward.

“Sorry, I'm sorry, don't be mad, I'm sorry!” A terrified voice stammered back. She refused to do as Felix said, however, and Dimitri wondered with some amusement how she thought she would manage to get anywhere in such a state. His question was answered when a short boy bound up to her, laughing, and threw an arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, Bernadetta.” She squealed again, though it did not seem to perturb him. He kept his arm fully about her and steered her along with the others. “Your old buddy Caspar will help you, don't worry.”

“What is she going to do when it's time to get sorted?” A sleepy voice asked while they moved. He followed his question with a long yawn, as if he'd spent the entire train ride sleeping. “The whole school will be looking at her, then.” Bernadetta wailed and jerked back.

“That's it, I'm not going! Let me go, I want to get back on the train!” The group finally caught up with the men waiting for them, and the shorter one spoke over her terrified shrieks with a warmth that gave her pause.

“Come now, there's nothing to be frightened of. Hagrid and I won't let anything happen to you sprouts, we promise! Isn't that right, Hagrid?” He turned to his companion, whose face was largely hidden in the wild tangle of hair on his head and face.

“That's right! Haven't had a single incident in all these years. And I got your help this year, to boot!” His booming voice was pleasant and warm as it was rough. “Alright you lot, my name is Rebeus Hagrid. Ya can call me Professor Hagrid, though, seeing as how I just took a teaching job. And this here is Alois. He's taking over some of my old work as gamekeeper.” Alois nodded with his introduction and swept into a low bow.

“A pleasure to meet you all!” he enthused. He happily chattered at them all as they set to following Hagrid down a sloping trail through a small stretch of woods. They soon came upon the shore of a massive lake. Its inky blank surface lapped quietly against the rocky length of the bank, and it gleamed in the moonlight like a dark mirror. A cluster of boats sat upon the shore, and the men directed the students to get on board. “Three students to a boat!” Alois chimed. They all hurried to gather with the friends they'd made on the train. Dimitri eyed the water curiously as he climbed on behind Ingrid and Felix. Glenn had told them once that the Black Lake at the foot of the school was teeming with creatures both good and wicked. He couldn't help but wonder if it was truly safe for the group of them to cross.

The boats tugged themselves free of the sand when everyone had settled into their seats. The ride was beautiful and peaceful, and Dimitri decided that he very much enjoyed travel by magical boat. Ingrid kept peering over the edge, eyes eager and hand twitching as if she wanted nothing more than to reach in. But they had been told not to, and she was a stark rule follower. Much to her father's great displeasure, Dimitri thought with a smile. He was soon distracted. The first view of Hogwarts cast a breathless spell of awe over the children. The stunning sprawl of spindly towers and stately corridors sat silhouetted perfectly against the early autumn sky, its many windows a mirror of the stars in their warm glow. Though Dimitri had never felt that he was lacking in this area, he and many of his fellows were swept up in an immediate and indescribable sensation.

They'd come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE SORTING IS THE NEXT CHAPTER! I'm so, so, so excited! Once that chapter is complete, I'm going to fall into a release schedule. New chapters will be up at minimum once per week, and you'll see two come up on good weeks. They'll be more likely to pop up Sunday-Tuesday
> 
> *I would also like to note, for anyone who might be curious in my process for selecting who would and would not be part of the story from the HP cast: any major character that is missing (like Ron and Harry) are missing for specific reasons. Non major characters that are still present are here either because they directly fit into the new story (like Sirius), or because there was no suitable FE3H character to 'fill' their role (like Malfoy). None of the three houses cast really work for an obnoxious brat of a bully, so he makes the cut simply so I can USE HIM LIKE THE TOOL HE IS.
> 
> Much love for any and all of you reading this, and even more love to those of you who are taking the time to leave generous comments. You sustain me <3


	5. Chapter Five: The Sorting Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and his friends have finally arrived in Hogwarts, and the much anticipated sorting is now upon them. Following a night of excitements and disappointments, the children get their first taste of their new home. Flickers of their world's hottest topics soon come to light, and Dimitri is quick to learn that Hogwarts is far from free of the politics of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sorting! I know, am absolutely positive, that not everyone will agree with my choices. Heck I don't even agree with all of my choices, but I can't exactly give you guys all of my reasons for some of them without spoilers. Sorry! Just know that I pained over this for a long while before I even sat and wrote the first chapter. I will be happy to discuss any of the sortings with anybody who wishes to ask, too! I would also like to use this space to comment that, while I would never ever be so dumb as to think Rowling anything short of a genius, I disagreed with her most in how she set up the school itself. Everywhere from lack of vital knowledge classes to writing Slytherin house (my house, thank you very much!) as simply the 'jerk' house has been decided as not being vital to the original story's structure, and will be altered.
> 
> ***The Hagrid thing that you may notice below was not a mistake.***

“What do you mean electronics don't work in Hogwarts?!” Dorothea's horrified gasp echoed sharply across the lake, drowned out quickly by the laughter of her classmates. She'd taken her phone out to get a picture of the approaching castle, telling her fellows eagerly about something called an 'Instagram'. Hagrid had to explain that places with a lot of magic, like the heavily enchanted school grounds, made electronics bug out and fail to function at all. Ingrid looked every bit as glum as Dorothea and the rest of the children privy to muggle things, though Dimitri was sure that she had known this already.

“What do you need one of them for, anyway,” Hagrid continued. “Your wand will be able to do a lot more for ya.” Dorothea did not seem convinced.

“Can it take as many pictures as I like and share them instantly with all of my adoring followers? I think not.” She slumped with a sigh and tucked it carefully back into her bag. Hagrid looked like he hadn't understood a word she had said.

“I'm going to miss video games,” Ingrid lamented to her friends. “My rankings are going to slip so much. Magic really needs to get with the program and figure out how to work with TV's.” Dimitri wholeheartedly agreed with this. The technology at the Black house had always stricken him and Felix as so spectacular, it was hard to believe that they were not magic.

“Are you really complaining at a time like this?” Felix told her. “We're finally there!” The boats were all filing into rows and slipping through the doors of a crumbling building at the foot of a huge set of stairs. One student fell into the water with a yelp, having lost their footing in their excited scrambling. Hagrid reached one of his massive hands into the water and fished him out, laughing at the sour and petulant look on the prissy-seeming boy's face. Dimitri vaguely remembered him from Ministry holiday parties – Lorenz, he was pretty sure. Hagrid pulled a wand that may as well have been a yardstick from his overcoat and swept it over the soaked boy, drying him off. Lorenz gave him an appreciative smile and sheepishly went to join the others.

“Alright everyone, up you go!” Alois firmly prodded a lagging Bernadetta forward to join everyone filing out the door to the side. “All the way up the stairs and across the courtyard. Someone will come to talk to you at the front doors.” He and Hagrid hung back to ensure they were all off, then turned and disappeared back into the boathouse. Dimitri thought that the trip from the lake to the castle entrance would be tiring on a normal day. That night, after a long and eventful day, it was downright exhausting. His stomach rumbled unhappily again, and he quickened his pace.

Dimitri recognized the severe looking man waiting for them in front of the massive castle doors. He offered them all a light smile as they approached and held up his hand for silence when they'd all caught up. “Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He paused to allow the excited response to die down before he continued. “Beyond these doors is the place that will exist as your second home for the next seven years. When we go inside, you will be led into the Great Hall. There you will all file into an orderly line in front of the staff table, where you will wait to be called and sorted. You will be placed into one of four houses. They are Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. The hat's decision is final, and we will hear no requests of a transfer.” He went on to describe the significance behind the houses, and how their actions in their time at the school would impact the others in their house.

Dimitri grew distracted and found himself glancing frequently to Felix. His friend had thus far held firm to the notion that Gryffindor was not a suitable match for him. While Dimitri was not positive the house of the lion would even be selected for himself, he knew that his only other likely candidate – Hufflepuff – was certainly not a fit for Felix. The idea that they would not be sorted together made his chest ache. As though sensing his thoughts Felix turned to him. His eager face softened and he reached out a gentle hand to softly squeeze over Dimitri's in reassurance. They exchanged a smile, and the great doors began to open. They groaned under their own weight as they moved and the group struggled to refrain from barreling each other over in their excitement to get inside. If the rest of the castle matched the entrance hall for beauty, Dimitri thought, Fraldarius manor would seem little more than a shack by the time he got back home.

They watched their reflections in the four great hourglasses they passed. Each stretched from floor to ceiling, their top halves filled with glittering jewels that appeared to match each of the four houses. A few dropped to the bottom as they watched and the girl who'd led them up to Hagrid earlier – Hilda, Dimitri had heard her called – explained they did that when the houses received points. “I wonder if anyone's ever tried to break into one of 'em.” The thought came from her friend Claude, and he was fixed with a hotly disapproving look from Seteth. “Not that I'd ever try!” He chirped defensively. Seteth ignored him and paused at a set of doors to the right, waiting a moment for everyone to catch up. He pressed them open with a practiced grace, and his flock followed close at heel as they entered the bright hall.

Dimitri was immediately enraptured with the ceiling. He stumbled into Sylvain while he was craning to stare at it, and his friend laughed and tugged on the end of his hair, admonishing him lightly. He looked back forward with a blush and instantly regretted it. People were staring at him. Again, Dimitri thought coldly, it was something he truly should be used to. Their pressing stares and hissed whispers were distracting him from his excited first looks of the school and, in the process, stirred the snarling voices of the dead. He set his jaw against the unpleasantness and reached for Felix's hand again. The responding grasp of his hand anchored Dimitri once more, and his heart twinged again as he wondered where Felix would go. There was no time left to discuss it, however. They had come to a stop in front of the long faculty table at the head of the room and waited, nerves alight, as Seteth placed a stool opposite the school's Headmistress. He sat upon it a very old, very dirty looking hat, at which Sylvain scowled and mumbled something about lice. The hat startled them all as a seam near its brim opened wide, and it began to sing a song. It sung of the four houses and the founders of each, along with the ideals they had placed with them. The hall rang with a pregnant silence when it was finished.

“When I call your name, come forward immediately. The food will not appear until every student has been assigned a house, so I urge you all to keep this in mind.” Seteth unrolled a long list and Dimitri shifted, stricken with impatience when his stomach rumbled again. “Aegir, Ferdinad,” he called. The boy in question leapt forward at once. He sat primly upon the stool, and the school waited with baited breath to hear the first sorting of the night. After awhile the hat bellowed “Gryffindor!” And the table in question erupted in cheers. Ferdinand seemed very pleased with his result, and he slid quickly off his stool and hurried to join his new housemates. Dimitri watched with fascination as handsome shades of scarlet filled the inside of his all black robes and spilled over his tie, twisting the black into strands of red and gold to display the Gryffindor colors. Arnault, Dorothea was summoned next – Slytherin! - followed closely by Bergliez, Caspar – Gryffindor!

Ingrid came next, her face bright. The hat had hardly alighted on her head before it yelled “Gryffindor!” and was whisked away. She brushed a subtle pink at the abrupt sorting, and ducked her head in happy embarrassment while she hurried to her table. She grinned at her friends as she passed mouthing 'I'll save you a seat'. Dimitri was next. A chorus of whispers hissed to a sharp silence, like the sound of the train when it had finally come to a stop. Dimitri swallowed and wiped his hands nervously on his robes, head bowed as he came forward. He kept his eyes down as the hat was settled on his head, and wished only for the process to be finished quickly.

“Ahh, most curious. Most curious indeed,” the hat spoke, and Dimitri looked about wildly to make certain it was not talking out loud. Idly he wondered if it was truly talking, at all. “What an intriguing mind you have here, young man. I see turmoil, here. And a darkness...yes, a great darkness born from a terrible pain. A survivor, through and through.” Dimitri balled his hands into fists on his knees. He wasn't sure if the hat was trying to compliment him, or if it simply held no regard for its idle words. They were agitating him either way. “The correct choice seem apparent, though. Yes, I'm sure. Gryffindor!” The hall exploded with cheers and Dimitri slumped with relief. The hat was whisked away and he jumped up to join Ingrid. She hugged him happily as he slid onto the bench beside her, happily gushing about how she'd called it for them both. Ashe Duran and Marianne Edmund were called next, sorted into Gryffindor, then Hufflepuff. Felix came after.

Dimitri held his breath as his friend settled on the stool. He assured himself that everything would be fine regardless of where Felix went. Even still, when the hat finally spoke following its longest decision making yet, its cry of “Slytherin” made Dimitri's heart sink into his stomach. Felix grinned as he jumped from the stool, and Dimitri noted with a pang that he did not so much as glance toward him before he hurried to find a seat at the cheering table. Dimitri tried to refocus on the sorting while Glenn loudly vocalized his angry disbelief nearby. Sylvain was next, and he happily joined Felix when the hat proclaimed “Slytherin.” The house of the snake received its third match in a row when the boy who'd fallen out of his boat, Lorenz, was sent their way as well. Goneril, Hilda, Granger, Hermione, and Hevring, Linhardt came next, sorted into Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw respectively. Edelgard was summoned next, and Dimitri slumped when she, too, was sorted into Slytherin. She looked his way and flashed him a smile on the way to her seat.

The sorting continued at a rapid pace. _Kirsten, Raphael – Hufflepuff! Macneary, Petra – Gryffindor! Martritz, Mercedes – Gryffindor! Molinaro, Dedue – Hufflepuff! Ordelia, Lysithea – Ravenclaw! Pinelli, Leonie – Hufflepuff! Riegan, Claude – Ravenclaw! Varley, Bernadetta – Ravenclaw! Vestra, Hubert – Slytherin! Vicotr, Ignatz - Ravenclaw!_ And finally, Annette Weasley was summoned and placed in Gryffindor simply because, it seemed, she was a Weasley. It seemed to delight her nonetheless, and she was all smiles as she joined her friends at the Gryffindor table. Seteth tapped the edge of his list with his wand. It rolled itself at once and disappeared in a light cloud of smoke while he banished the stool and went to take his place at the Headmistress' side. She rose gracefully when he was seated and regarded the room of students with a soft smile that seemed radiant even in its simplicity.

Rhea Bishop was a legend among the people of the wizarding world. Though they had only interacted a scarce handful of times, Dimitri remembered each one of them keenly. She had an air about her that seemed almost deifacted. Perhaps, he thought, that notion was born simply from the knowledge that the mysterious woman had been head of Hogwarts for the last three hundred years – at least! - and did not look like she had seen a day over thirty years in age. This strange longevity had garnered her a great many enemies, whose loud conspiracies theories were prevalent to this day. It had also gleaned her an almost occultish set of followers, whom were convinced she was the reincarnation of some goddess. Though she publicly dismissed such notions, the idea had gained in popularity since the end of the wizarding war, in which she had been instrumental in the survival of much of the muggle mixed world.

“I have much to say to you all, but I'm sure you are all positively famished. So for now I will simply say welcome and,” she held up her hands and clapped twice, “dig in.” A mouth watering spread of food appeared on the table. Sound filled the room at once, eager voices and scraping knives and laughing friends. Dimitri grabbed a bit of everything within his reach and dug in with relish, humming happily when the rich food sat heavy on his tongue. Glenn had described how good the feasts at Hogwarts were, but Dimitri had always doubted they could ever compete with their own house elves' cooking. He had been mistaken, though only by a little bit. When the worst of his hunger had been sated he noticed Ingrid, her cheeks puffed and eyes wide to a near cartoonish effect. She looked as if she'd died and gone to heaven with every bite Dimitri watched her take, and he nearly choked on his food with laughter when he noticed the thoroughly disgusted look she was receiving from Hermione sitting across from her.

The good food and friendly atmosphere combined with eager chatter from his friends, both old and new, were more than enough to distract Dimitri from his sadness at Felix's sorting. He introduced himself to Caspar, Neville, Ashe and Ferdinand, and was relieved to come to the decision that he would enjoy the company of his dorm-mates. Most of the time, anyway, he thought as Ferdinand turned conversation to the “noble house of Aegir” and bragged about how he'd always known he was destined to be a Gryffindor. Caspar eventually cut him off with talk of Quidditch, and conversation turned interesting once more. By the time the dessert plates cleared, Dimitri and the others were stuffed beyond reason, and their eyes grew heavy with sleep. Rhea rose again, and the hall grew quiet as she walked up to her glittering podium.

“I trust that you all enjoyed the food?” She graced them all with her soft smile again. “I would like to begin by welcoming you all, once again, to Hogwarts. To our new students, we receive you with much joy, and eagerly look forward to witnessing the mark you will leave on this place in your education journey. To our returning students, we are so very happy to see you all return to us safely and happily, and trust that you will represent your houses well as you guide the newest among you. Now I have just a few things of import to discuss, and I will let you head off to bed. First, I would like to introduce the Officer's Squad to the new students.” She gestured her hand to a smaller table on the faculty platform where several people in uniforms of black and silver stood and bowed.

“We place our safety in the hands of the Officer's Squad here at Hogwarts, and they handle it diligently. They are also in charge of the combat training courtyard. You will see these dedicated men and women throughout the halls and grounds of the school. I ask that you treat them with respect, and keep in mind that they have all the authority of a teacher.” The Officers sat down and Rhea continued. “Next I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest at the edge of the grounds is strictly off limits. We get far too many stories of reckless adventure each year, so I will once again call your attention to the fact that it is titled 'Forbidden' for good reason. Punishment for breaking this rule will be met with greater severity this year in an attempt to halt such dangerous behavior.” She frowned lightly at the responding whispers, and pressed on. “The curfew hours have been changed recently, as well. While it will remain at nine in the evening for all students in their first and second year, students in years three through five can now enjoy an extra hour – you must now be in your common rooms by ten. The curfew is further extended to eleven for our eldest students in years six and seven. This is an exploratory rule, and I hope you will all assist me in proving Seteth wrong by not abusing this privilege.” The school laughed, and Seteth flushed unhappily.

She continued to introductions, and Dimitri recognized most of these names from Glenn's stories. The other heads of houses, Professors Hanneman of Ravenclaw, Casagranda of Slytherin, and Mcgonagall of Gryffindor, all rose and bowed lightly at introduction. The other teachers simply nodded, though Dimitri could see a lot of excitement bubbling in Hagrid when Rhea got to him. She then turned back to the group and raised her arms, bidding them all goodnight. A chorus of scraping and banging filled the room as hundreds of students moved at once, all eager to find their beds. Dimitri and the others moved to join Glenn at the end of their table, where he and a girl Dimitri did not recognize were calling for the first years to gather. He noted, with a small smile, that the two of them were holding hands. “Everyone ready?” Glenn asked when the table was clear. “Good. Let's give the rest a minute to give us some room, then we'll get going.”

They filed out a minute later and Felix caught Dimitri's eye, waving at him and mouthing 'good night' before his group split off and headed in the opposite direction. The Hufflepuffs went after them, and the Ravenclaws led the Gryffindors up a set of stairs to the right. They all gasped in awe, then, shocked by the sight of the grand stair case rising high into the air. They watched eagerly as the sections moved, rising and falling and sliding side to side. Dimitri wondered just how many paintings it had taken to fill the great expanse of walls so fully, and watched with amusement as they ran back and forth in each other's frames, chattering about the new students. The Ravenclaws parted from them at the fifth floor, while the Gryffindors climbed all the way to the seventh. They came to a halt before a tall portrait of a lovely woman, who pretended not to notice them while she fixed her hair in a small hand mirror.

“This is the Fat Lady,” Glenn introduced her. Dimitri was shocked she did not take offense to the title, and wondered if she had another name with which he could address her. “She guards the entrance to the common room. Make sure you remember the password, it will change every month and she will not let you through. Stubborn, this one,” he smiled at her, and she beamed happily back at him. He said, “fortuna major,” when prompted, and the portrait swung open with a wave of her arm. They climbed through a large hole in the wall beyond and found themselves in a big and comfortable looking common room. The liberally used swatches of scarlet and gold made the room seem warm and friendly. A bright fire crackling in an ornate fire place emphasized the effect. Dimitri stifled a large yawn behind his hand, and was relieved to climb the stairs Glenn pointed out for the boys' rooms.

The round room was a bit smaller than he had expected, filled with five beds set in a snug circle that lined the walls. His own stood out easily, already made with the deep blue comforter he had selected in Diagon Alley. He ran his fingers gently over the bumps of the embroidered silver stars and sat upon it gracelessly. “They're not very comfortable beds, are they?” Ferdinand complained when he sat upon his own. Dimitri could not entirely disagree, though they could certainly have been worse. Assuming they held a common opinion based on their family's wealth, though, he bit his tongue, and was glad for it when Caspar and Ashe proclaimed their disagreement. He tugged his curtains shut for cover to change into his nightclothes, and though plans for heading to the washroom to brush his teeth were on his mind as he changed, he never made it out of the bed. Sleep was upon him before he even had the time to fret about whether his frequent sleep talking would disturb his new acquaintances.

Dimitri woke in the morning with a start, confused by the unfamiliar canopy around him and nearly fell off of his much smaller dormitory bed. He fought the tangling stretch of scarlet off of his flailing limbs and struggled to stumble free, only to find Caspar openly laughing at him when he finally surfaced. He ducked his face to hide his embarrassment while he hurried to get ready, and was admittedly a little happy when Ferdinand woke much to the same effect. “That will take some getting used to,” he huffed when he rose. “My own bed must be five times the size of this one!” Caspar laughed again.

“Man, you rich kids are going to be fun!” He teased. “Real easy to get to, I see.”

“Aw come on, Caspar, leave them be,” Ashe chided. “It's an adjustment for us all.” They began to bicker lightly as they left for breakfast and Dimitri paused before following them to gently remind Neville that he was still in his pajamas. The boy's eyes bugged and he hurried to get dressed, mumbling something about forgetfulness. Ferdinand hung back with them and assured Neville that there was nothing to be upset over, and saved himself a few points in Dimitri's mind. He was a kind soul, clearly, despite his arrogance. They found a sleepy Mercedes lounging on an over stuffed arm chair by the window, her eyes struggling to stay open in the glow of the morning sun. She yawned when she greeted them and stretched with all the grace of a cat.

“Have you not gone to breakfast, yet?” Dimitri asked when she joined them. She shook her head and gave him a serene smile.

“Annette woke us all up awhile ago and set off on her own, but I just didn't have the energy. I thought I would wait until some of the late risers came downstairs, maybe get a nice nap in.”

“You shouldn't nap right after you wake up,” Hermione told her, having overheard her dorm-mate when the group caught her on the stairs. “It's not healthy. It can lead to lethargy, and weight gain, and even depression if you do it too much.” Mercedes looked startled, gasping her thanks to Hermione for sharing. Hermione looked like she could not tell whether Mercedes was teasing or thanking her in earnest. Dimitri felt bad for her – that sort of reaction did not come from being treated well by your peers. She had accepted Mercedes' kindness by the time they arrived in the great hall, however, and had proceeded to talk about the sleep studies book she had once taken for  
“a bit of light reading,” in earnest.

“You will get along with Annie, I think,” Mercedes beamed at the friend in question while they sat down. “She does stuff like that, too.” Hermione looked a little taken aback, staring between the two smiling girl's faces with no small amount of surprise. She joined conversation with them a bit shyly, at first, though it quickly melted away to be replaced by the haughty and knowledgeable tone she had been using thus far. Dimitri's attention wandered away from the girls while he selected some toast and eggs for himself, laughing when Caspar plucked up an entire floating rack of the bread and trapped it before him. The prefects came by awhile into breakfast and passed out their schedules with the high windows of the hall opened to allow the morning post to fly in. Dimitri was happy to see that they took their classes with other houses, and that his very first – Potions – would be with the Slytherins. Caspar did not seem to share this pleasure, however. He loudly complained over having the difficult subject early in the morning on a Monday.

Felix slid onto the bench next to Dimitri as he was finishing his breakfast. “Did you read your schedule?” Dimitri nodded and he smiled. “Neither of us has ever done much with potions. Wonder if we'll be any good at it.”

“Only nerds are good at potions!” Caspar said. Ashe whacked him. “What? It's true! It's all precisey measurements and boring stirring and stuff.”

“Charming,” Hermione intoned, and the rest of them laughed. “Do try not to blow us all up, wouldn't you?”

“I'm excited to meet Professor Casagranda,” Mercedes chimed in. “I heard that she's a famous singer, _and_ an accomplished healer. I would love to dedicate so much of my life uplifting others!” Hermione blinked at her gushing, and it was clear that the somewhat stuffy girl had not considered these aspects of the woman. Dimitri suspected that this had something to do with the rather revealing robes she had been wearing at the entrance ceremony. Robes that were, apparently, not out of the normal for the Professor's daily dress, they soon found out. She was waiting inside of the classroom when they arrived, one elegant leg bared through a large slit in the side of her robe where she leaned against her desk. Dimitri heard Ingrid clap a hand instantly over Sylvain's mouth.

“Welcome, welcome!” She greeted while they filed in. “It's so wonderful to see you all! I am Professor Manuela Casagranda.” The class echoed her warm greeting and paused before taking their seats, noting paper placards designating seats at the tables. “I've always found this to be effective,” Manuela told them apologetically. “I know it's a bother, but take your assigned seats for now. There we go. Alright, on to business.” She clapped, and Dimitri found with pleasure that he shared a table with Edelgard. She smiled up at him and tipped her head in greeting. Professor Casagranda began to go over their curriculum for the year and Dimitri blinked when something light and sharp smacked into the side of his face. Edelgard looked behind him disapprovingly while Dimitri unfolded the bit of parchment, finding an animated doodle of the Professor pacing the aisles of the desks. She sashayed to an exaggerated an inappropriate effect in it, and his face burned as he shoved to hide it under his book. He didn't need to look to know that Edelgard's glare was being shot at Sylvain.

Potions class turned out to be not so bad, though they only had a single block of it that day. They'd spent the morning carefully measuring out and preparing ingredients for the potion they would be working on in their next class, the backs of their heads warmed pleasantly by the sun in the bright classroom. “Can you believe this class used to be held in the dungeons?” Manuela told them as she wandered around. “Unbelievable! It's no wonder so many accidents happened; no proper ventilation! Let's all just count ourselves lucky they had been willing to listen to a doctor,” she winked. Sylvain proved an eager student in her class and earned a good chunk of points for Slytherin house. Hermione was scowling at him with such a heated intensity by the time he had answered his fifth question, Dimitri half expected his robes to catch fire. Sylvain seemed wholly unbothered by it, however, and only winked at Hermione when he noticed her stares. Dimitri once again found himself wondering if his friend had a death wish.

“A blatant display of house based favoritism,” she said when they were filing into the corridor to make way to their next class. Annette nodded next to her enthusiastically.

“It's not fair, we both had our hands up a lot, too! Stupid Sylvain,” she grumbled. Ingrid and Dimitri shared a knowing smile. Herbology was next, and the group hurried to make it down to the greenhouses in time. They could see Alois and Hagrid in the distance when they cleared the castle entrance. The two men appeared to be having a great time, fishing and singing and laughing with an intensity that followed the Gryffindors across the grounds. Most of them were out of breath by the time they burst through the door, and Professor Sprout laughed at the sight of them.

“Used to be a time when students got here early from Potions,” she mused as they filed in. “Go on then, find a place to settle in. A pleasure to see you all – don't touch that, boy!” Caspar recoiled with a start, having been reaching out to curiously touch a reaching tendril of a vividly blue plant. “First rule of my classroom: if you don't know what it is, don't touch it.” Dimitri thought this seemed like sound advice, and he found a seat with Ingrid by Hilda and Marianne. The latter girl looked, Dimitri realized, rather unhealthy and wholly miserable. He hoped that she was alright.

Herbology class turned out to be leagues more lively than Potions had been. They were tasked with splitting into pairs and fishing crystals out of large pots of soil before the odd plants that were inside – strange things with roots they could sprout and retract at will that looked to be cross of a fly trap and a walnut – could snap them all up. They could tell when one had gotten a prize as their bodies would harden and turn brown, and they would sink their roots out into the soil. “Pelchers snap up rocks and minerals and hunker down with them until they turn em into something else entirely. Make sure you get em before they get their roots out, cuz at that point you'll have to kill em to get their mouths open.” Marianne looked positively horrified at this statement.

The class set eagerly to the task and were soon laughing as dirt scattered everywhere in the chase. Dimitri caught up a pelcher just as it had snapped itself firmly around a bit of quartz. He plucked it hurriedly from the soil and set it on the table before it could spread its roots. “Very good, now annoy it until it lets go!” Madam Pomfrey commanded. He eventually managed to accomplish the task by irregularly flicking it with drops of water from his water bottle, and he grinned when it caved and spat the rock out. Hilda was laughing across from them, upper body leaned back and hands held up to shield herself from the scattering dirt in front of her.

“Geez, Marianne, I don't think I've ever seen you move so fast!” She laughed as Marianne dug swiftly through the dirt, flicking crystals onto the table every few seconds. “Relax, I doubt she'll actually make us kill them if we don't get them in time.” Dimitri knew this to be very false, as he had seen Raphael have to do just that at the end of the table earlier, but he did not feel the need to share it. They were all filthy by the time class was done, their robes and hair covered in soil. Dimitri tugged at his shirt, itchy where it clung to his sweat dampened skin. “What does this have to do with Herbology, anyway?” Hilda complained as she tugged unhappily at her filthy hair. “Isn't this more in the magical creatures branch?”

“Not at all,” Pomfrey chortled. “Pelchers, though they're active little devils, are plants. And agitated pelchers do wonderful things for soil, real helpful in feeding the most stubborn of neighbors.” The clock tower began to chime, then, and the dismissed the class with an apology. “Meant to give you lot time to clean up, sorry about that!” She chuckled as they left. Somehow they all failed to catch the joke. Dimitri nearly fell over in shock when Ingrid turned away from the sounds and smells of lunch time and moved to the stairs, talking about how she needed to shower before she could eat. He almost agreed with her, honestly, but his stomach growled impatiently and the long trip to the Gryffindor washrooms did not sound worth it in the slightest.

Felix and Sylvain openly stared when he settled onto a bench across from them. “You guys have Herbology today?” Dimitri chipperly asked.

“Not if it means I'm going to come out of it looking like that,” Sylvain replied, shaking his head. “I think I suddenly feel ill. I'll have to spend the period in the hospital wing, for sure.

“Why _are_ you all such a mess, anyway?” Felix's wide eyes followed the rest of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs who had been unwilling to sacrifice mealtime for a shower. Dimitri explained. Sylvain seemed to grow all the more resolved to ditch class as he spoke, but Felix tilted his head with curiosity. “I've seen pelchers before. We have some in our gardens, Dimitri.” Dimitri shrugged and took a big bite out of his bread. He had never had much interest in plants and though Felix thought similarly, the boy was also the curious type. Edelgard came to join them and paused, her pretty lavender eyes scanning Dimitri in silent question. Hubert, her childhood friend whom Dimitri knew from experience was not nearly as unkind as he appeared, let out a derisive laugh at her back.

“Herbology,” Dimitri told her simply, and shrugged.

“Wonderful.” She settled in with him and carefully pulled her hair back from her shoulders. Felix asked what had taken them so long to get to lunch. “We found ourselves curious about the new fields Madam Hooch had spoken of, and went to give them a look,” she explained. “I rather like the sound of lacrosse, I think.” Dimitri blinked and looked questioningly between the Slytherins. “New sports were added to the extra curricular roster,” Edelgard explained as she helped herself to some chili. “A rather bold statement from the school that they wish to move in the direction that the Minister is pushing for in regard to muggle culture.”

“They're going to stir up another war if they're not careful,” Sylvain hummed. It sounded flippant, but the dark look on his face was not missed. The wizarding world had been through enough in the last few decades – a new war would be devastating. He was not wrong.

“And what of it?” Edelgard pressed. “No great change is made without force. Personally I've found it very refreshing to finally hear Dumbledore pressing for something of substance in his policies.” Dimitri found that he did not like the tone of this conversation, far heavier than those he'd participated in thus far. Felix seemed to agree, and when Edelgard, Hubert, and Sylvain continued to debate the matter he rose with is plate and jerked his head at Dimitri to follow. Edelgard watched them go, even as she did not break in conversation. She looked disappointed. The expression haunted Dimitri for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went from almost too short, to being difficult to find a place to end it. I will leave it on El baffling our sweet Dimi, though, as it seems fitting. Writing her is making me consider giving Crimson Flower another chance >.>  
How do you guys like our new DLC? I have barely touched it, because I've been using most of my energy trying to get us to at least in this point of the story. I'm hoping interest is mounting at this point as some of the most critical differences come to light. Let me know what you think about the implications behind Dumbledore's different role, and let me know if you've figured out some of the differences that might have come from Rhea occupying the Headmistress' seat for so long ;)
> 
> Much love! <3 Look for the next chapter either this evening or tomorrow morning. Also, you can find me on Twitter @BloodHarpie. Say hi!


	6. Chapter Six: Silver Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students of Hogwarts have begun to adjust to their lives at the school. Meanwhile, a great danger has come and made its home among the fallen leaves of the Forbidden Forest. As the marks it leaves come to the notice of the school's gamekeepers, Dimitri is made to consider just who could be lurking among the trees. The answer sees his mental health take a sharp turn for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***It has been brought to my attention that I missed sweet Ignatz, of all people, in the sorting last chapter. I have gone back through and fixed it, but for those of you who have read it already he has been sorted into Ravenclaw house. Art is a knowledge all its own, after all***
> 
> Guys I hard struggled with pacing in this chapter, and for that I am sorry. I am still very much polishing my style and ability as a writer, and this right here is one of my greatest weaknesses. If you have want to assist me where you think I may be able to improve, please feel free to leave me a comment on what didn't quite flow right for you. Also yes, the order of events is different here. This will be common, don't want to go getting all predictable.

The servant was late that night. Annoyance pooled in him like hot oil as he slid over the soft moss and rich soil of the forest floor, his gentle hisses a warning to any who may seek to disturb him. He was restless, impatient. The plan was taking too long and now, to make matters all the more trying, the one line he had to the world of the living had taken to testing his patience. His hisses sharpened, and a startled creature nearby yelped. The noise it caused in its terrified departure rang through the quiet area to jarring effect and through it, he detected a human gasp. The newcomer paused and he watched, coiling, as they reached out with their senses, straining to detect him. He might have sought make them wait, or to lunge from the brush and bring them near to death in fear. But such childish antics were beneath him.

“You are late,” he hissed. The servant's silhouette stiffened, then relaxed. Brave as ever, he noted with satisfaction. This, at least, served him well.

“Caution is vital. I am here as early as was possible.” Their voice was calm and even, but he tasted their nerves on the air and hissed with pleasure. Even the brave knelt to him. No matter his state, no matter the time he had spent disconnected from this place, the effect of his greatness still rang true. The Dark Lord was still feared. “Shall we begin, my Lord?” The servant asked. They bowed low and extended their arm to the undergrowth that cloaked him, and he surged forward.

A metal band gleamed on the servant's forearm, and they raised their fingers to stroke over the enchanted gem set in the center. Power shot between them, a flicker that surged to life in a brilliant silver flash that cleared away all sensation of the form of the snake as he left it behind. He sunk easily into the willing vessel, and soon the rapid patter of their excited heart beat strongly within his own chest. He drew long and hard at the cold morning air, relishing in the strain of his lungs. Nagini was comfortable, certainly. But nothing replaced this. Long fingers rose to sweep back his hood as he started deeper into the forest, reveling in the air on his face. The servant's voice rang in his mind while they walked. _It is good to see that our spell continues to work so well._

“You learn quickly, my faithful servant.” The reminder of his vessel's place rang sharp under his praise. The spell had been a masterwork, indeed. The first of its kind, he was certain. Yet the credit belonged to him, of course. There were none that could perform magic on the level of the Dark Lord. “If you seek my approval, you know what you must do. Find a way for the spell to endure.” The great flaw in this possession ritual was the dreadfully short amount of time that it could be sustained. After a mere hour the soul of the host would evict that of the possessor, to terrible effect if there were no nearby vessel to return to. His senses searched for the sounds of Nagini following them at the thought, and he relaxed. His servant remained silent, and he knew why. His borrowed lip curled at the knowledge that even they who sought him out were not loyal enough to willingly offer their body permanently.

_I have a theory that may prove interesting_. Their words came to him as he finally spotted his quarry. Her fur shone like the moon among the thick foliage of the forest, horn gleaming as she searched for food among the roots of a nearby tree. Irritation rose, and he let it burn hot to serve as a silent warning to his vessel that they were interrupting. Void of access to their senses, it was an understandable mistake. Interest in what they had to say when he was finished allowed him to accept this. The servant fell silent once more. He slipped their wand from the inside of their robe and swirled it deftly about their person, the incantation for stealth strong in his mind. A barely perceptible sliver of smoke slid from the tip, a sign of success, and he tucked it back away.

Later, Voldemort could feel the first warning signs of the weakening ritual only a handful of minutes after he was finished with his task. He reached for Nagini, reassured by the touch of her smooth scales under his palm. “What is this theory?” He asked. He felt a sense of unease from them drift through his chest at his question, and he narrowed his eyes. This servant, though vastly more useful than most had been to him in the past, still did not place their trust in him absolutely. He would see to it that this was thoroughly remedied.

~*~~*~*~

“The kiss,” Dimitri murmured. He turned to bury his face in his drool-dampened pillow, waking fully at the chilled sensation against his cheek. A sharp peal of laughter beyond the curtains of his bed warmed his face and banished any hope that nobody had heard his apparent sleep talking.

“Sweet dreams, eh Dimitri?” Caspar teased. He tugged his curtains open and Dimitri recoiled against the sharp light of morning.

“Caspar, you can't just pull someone's curtains open! It's an invasion of privacy,” Ashe scolded. Caspar rolled his eyes and flopped back onto his own bed. “Sorry about him, Dimitri,” he sighed.

“Hey, don't go apologizing for me!” Caspar objected. “Talk about rude, Ashe.” A groan came from Ferdinand's bed, and his sleepy face soon poked out from his own curtains.

“Must you always be so dreadfully loud?” He mumbled. He fell back out of view with an 'oof' when Caspar launched a pillow at his face. Dimitri climbed from his bed while they began to argue in earnest, the volume rising as Ferdinand woke fully. He glanced to the remaining member of their dormitory and smiled at Neville's blissfully unaware snoring.

“He can sleep through just about anything, can't he?” Ashe mused when he noticed Dimitri's gaze. He nodded. “It's a good thing too, I suppose, seeing as how we don't seem to know how to be quiet around here.” He got himself dressed and joined Dimitri on his way out of the room. The two paused only for a moment to see if the others would follow and, seeing their argument showed no signs of stopping, they left without another word.

They ran into Petra in the common room, her normally sharp eyes heavy with exhaustion. “I was awake with much greatness last night,” she told the boys as she joined them on their way through the portrait hole. “Homework is getting more heavy this month.” The boys voiced their agreement. Though most of the teachers had shown mercy in giving their first year students time to adjust in September, the early weeks of October had been a stark reminder that such leniency would not last. They were juggling a full paper each week at minimum in their classes, not to mention the assigned reading and spell practice. Petra, who hailed from one of the few royal wizarding families – the Macneary's of Brazil – was wholly unused to such large amounts of book work. Though she told her classmates that she had not expected her transfer to be an easy process, she was clearly having a bit of a hard time.

Petra was not the only one, though. Mercedes looked rather put out herself when they found her at breakfast. She greeted them sleepily from where she sat slumped over her oatmeal, her tired eyes flicking over what appeared to be the same line in the open book next to her over and over again. Noticing her struggle, Hermione leaned over and gently took Mercedes' hand. “It helps to follow the words with your finger,” she told her, sliding the tip of her finger under the text in demonstration. “Saying it out loud helps, too.” Mercedes tried it, and beamed at Hermione in thanks. Dimitri watched as an odd sort of look passed across Hermione's face, before she smiled and nodded curtly. He had noticed her make this expression often since school had begun, always seemingly in response to friendliness from the other girls. Annette, Mercedes, Ingrid and Petra all seemed quite fond of her. It made Dimitri sad to think that this surprised Hermione so.

“Do you get stuck on lines sometimes too, Hermione?” He asked. He found it to be a bit of an endearing surprise from the exceptionally intelligent girl.

“I'm sure everyone does when they've been absorbing a lot at once.” Hermione set to her own breakfast, seemingly recovered from Mercedes' kindness.

“I have to do that _so much_ when I'm reading,” Annette agreed. “Sometimes I finish entire chapters and realize I don't remember one single bit of it. It's so frustrating!”

“Can we _please_ talk about something that is not the books?” Petra begged, speaking up before Annette could continue. She blushed and nodded, apologizing. “Thank you. It is our day off today, and I do not want to think of the learning.”

“You should not have used 'the' there, Petra,” Hermione corrected. “You add that word incorrectly quite often. That and tense really seems to be your biggest struggle.” Petra, who was normally happy for direction in regards to her mastery of English, looked at Hermione flatly. In a rare display of self awareness, Hermione ended her tirade and turned back to her meal. Conversation turned slowly to the group's plans for the day, and eventually even Mercedes' book closed as all thought of their studies slipped away. Felix joined Dimitri as he was finishing his food and bumped him in the shoulder.

“I'm going to go down to the Quidditch field before all the practice brooms are taken. Wanna come?” Dimitri rose eagerly at the invitation and bid his fellow Gryffindors goodbye. They passed Ingrid on their way out and laughed at her near zombie-like shamble to the great hall. Sylvain was trailing along after her, and he paused in his light teasing only to assure the boys he wouldn't let their half asleep friend choke on her food.

It was cool when they got outside, and it brought a smile to both of the friends' faces. A gentle breeze cut through the fabric of their sweaters as they trudged down the steep path to the broom shed, hopeful the chill had kept some of their classmates indoors. The hope proved founded – there wasn't a single school broom missing from the racks. Felix and Dimitri took to the air with whooping yells. The cold punched into Dimitri's chest as he shot ever higher, and he grinned against it. The weightless sensation that came with the world dropping away beneath him wrung another happy cry from his lips, and he happily tucked into a barrel roll. Felix laughed nearby, teasing him for showing off. Dimitri did it again and stuck his tongue out playfully. “It's only showing off because you can't do it!” He teased. Determination flit across Felix's face and he sped up, clinging and hanging low against his broom before spinning it sharply around to prove his friend wrong. Dimitri roared a happy cheer at Felix's success. He soared back, his pink cheeks raised with a proud grin. “I stand corrected!”

The two of them flew around the fields until their limbs were numb with cold, relenting only when Felix's stiffened hands nearly failed to keep him on his broom on a sharp turn. They raced each other back to the castle when the brooms were put away, laughing and playfully pushing while they fought to keep the lead. They came across the game keepers as they rounded the base of the castle and, seeing the serious expressions on their normally cheerful faces, Dimitri tugged Felix to a stop. He held a finger to his lips to silence his friend's question and jerked his head in the direction of the two men.

“You don't suppose it could just be another beast in the forest, do you?” Alois was asking. Dimitri crouched and crept for cover behind one of the large rocks that lined the path. Felix was quick to follow suit. They watched as Hagrid shook his massive head.

“Nah, most of em got no interest in the unicorns,” he grunted. “Ones that do wouldn'tve left em like this. Whatever this was, was after the poor thing's blood only.” He held his fingers up for Alois to see. Hagrid had clearly tried to wipe them clean, but even still they gleamed a startling silver in the dimming light of the late afternoon. Alois whistled.

“Now that _is_ concerning, to be sure. We're going to have to tell Rhea, see if she wants to get the officers on it...” his voice trailed off as the two began to retreat, ambling in the direction of their huts. Dimitri and Felix shared an intrigued look when they could hear them no more.

“What are you two doing?” The boys jumped near out of their skin at the sudden sound of Ingrid's voice. They whirled about with two very embarrassing squeaks, and recoiled against their rock at the stern look on their taller friend's face. She crossed her arms, unimpressed. Sylvain's shoulders rose and fell in silent snickers behind her, mouthing something Dimitri couldn't quite catch.

“None of your business what we were doing! Why were you sneaking up on us?” Felix tugged himself onto his feet with a scowl.

“We weren't sneaking!” Ingrid huffed. “You two just didn't hear us coming because you were too busy eavesdropping on somebody's conversation! Why do you do that so much, anyway? It's weird!” Dimitri flushed. Though it had been his idea, he didn't honestly have a good reason to give on why his first instinct had been to hide and listen.

“Ah come on, Ingrid, just drop it. Why don't we all just go and get some lunch, yeah?” Dimitri looked gratefully to Sylvain when he stepped in, and he felt Felix relax at his side. Felix never argued with Sylvain. Dimitri wondered if that would change at all now that the two were spending so much more time together as housemates. Mollified by the mention of food, Ingrid relented. She dropped her questioning without further prompting and the three of them followed Sylvain up the trail. Dimitri thought on how protective Ingrid had always been with the three of them while they made their way back to the castle, and in his musings he nearly missed the sight of Claude a bit ahead of them, slipping out of a hiding spot of his own. “What do you figure he was up to?” Sylvain mused as Claude disappeared from view.

“Probably the same thing as these two: no good,” Ingrid sighed.

Dimitri learned the answer to this a few days later, in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Like all of the major classes that were possible to study throughout a student's seven years at Hogwarts, teaching of this class was divided between two teachers. Their teacher this year, Professor Eisner, taught all of the odd years. While it was rumored that there was some sort of hex on the job that saw the yearly departure of every teacher brought in for this subject's even years, Professor Eisner had been teaching the subject for years one, three, five, and seven since even Rodrigue had been in school. Dimitri was quite fond of the man, both warm and competent in his work. His classes were almost always lively.

That day was no exception. They were learning the Protego spell, the practice of which had countless minor jinxes jetting across the room at an alarming rate. The Ravenclaws were unsurprisingly a bit ahead of their Gryffindor classmates in their early spell arsenal, and they had much of the proud house on a nervous and shaky defensive stance. Dimitri grit his teeth against the electric tingle surging in his stomach as the last of Claude's last tickling charm wore off. He moved again to defend himself; he was not allowed to fire back until he successfully deflected one. He thought hard over just which spell he would use in his revenge and planted his feet in preparation for Claude's next attack. “You guys need to loosen up,” Professor Eisner laughed as he walked among them. “You're standing like you're wielding swords. Relax and be ready to move, come on.”

“How do you relax _and_ be ready to move at the same time?” Ingrid demanded, exasperated. Lysithea landed another jinx in her distraction and Ingrid scowled.

“Focus!” Lysithea demanded. “You're wasting time!” Claude laughed and shook his head.

“Some people eh, Dimitri? Oh, that's just terrible -” he paused only to fire at him again, seeming quite pleased with himself when he once again broke Dimitri's defenses. “I don't think you're doing the gesture right, man.” This particular hex made the world tip around him, and Dimitri stumbled as he shook it off. He frowned at Claude when he righted himself, and his partner held up his hands in defense. “Hey, Professor's orders. Holding back doesn't teach anything.” Professor Eisner soon came over to correct Dimitri's gestures, and he turned back to Claude with some confidence when he was gone again.

“Alright, let's try again.” He found success this time and beamed as Claude's spell shot away from Dimitri's steady shield. “Finally!” He gasped. Claude seemed a little less pleased, though perhaps only in jest.

“Great, now I'm in for it,” he laughed. “Go easy on me huh, Dimitri? I was only doing what I was told.” They grinned at each other, and Dimitri was tremendously pleased to see that Claude, too, failed in his first attempt. “Ouch, what was that?” He groaned, shaking out his hand. “A stinging jinx? You hit me with a stinging jinx! Oh, you're going to get it for that.” The two of them soon fell into a much more rapid shift of attack and response as each slowly began to master the new spell. Dimitri decided he was very happy to have been partnered off with Claude. Despite his casual demeanor, the boy was both sharp and talented. Soon Protego became easy for them both, and they began to chatter while they continued to practice.

“So, what did you think of that thing with the unicorn blood?” Claude asked after awhile. His question took Dimitri by surprise, and he grinned when it gave him an opening in Dimitri's defenses. Dimitri wondered, not for the first time, why Claude was not in Slytherin. Regaining his composure, he raised his wand to defend himself again.

“You mean what Hagrid and Alois were talking about?” Claude nodded, and Dimitri shrugged. “I didn't really think there was much to think about. Something's attacking unicorns, and they're going to take care of it.” Claude looked very disappointed by Dimitri's answer. He followed after him when class was done, hurrying to catch up.

“Do you even know what unicorn blood does?” His earnest expression gave Dimitri pause. “I guess not, so I'll tell you: it can prolong your life. Just a little bit at a time, I think, and the effects are iffy, but that's not the weird thing.”

“What's the weird thing?” Dimitri was intrigued. Claude threw an arm around his shoulder and tugged their heads closer together.

“The weird thing is the cost. Drinking fresh unicorn blood to extend your life is said to be an instant and unfixable plague on your very soul. Think about it – who would pay a price like that for just a little bit of unicorn blood?” He looked intense, now. Serious. He deflated when Dimitri's expression of confusion did not change. “Come on, Dimitri, you're smart. Think!” It took him awhile. All through lunch, his remaining classes, and dinner Dimitri's mind continued to drift back to Claude's question without much success.

“What do you think, Matilda?” He asked his companion later that night. She shifted in her favorite perch in the high corners of his bed posts, her fuzzy head craning back to look at him at the sound of her name. She chittered at him curiously and dropped onto the covers at his feet. He scooped her up and held her to his chest with a smile, fingers stroking lovingly over her warm fur. “You just think I called you for treats, don't you?” He murmured. Her ears flicked and she chattered again, scrabbling at his hands with excitment. He reached for his bedside table and tugged it open to retrieve the apple he'd collected from lunch, and happily sat there feeding her bits of it. Claude's question finally slipped from his mind, and he spent the night relaxing in peace.

A bit of alarming news came to distract him the next morning. The owls had just made their morning delivery, and while Dimitri occupied himself with reading the latest issue of Quidditch Monthly, Glenn suddenly reached over and whacked him on the arm. Dimitri dropped his toast in surprise, but any response died in his throat at the look of wide eyed worry on Glenn's face. He held up what had caught his attention to Dimitri: that morning's issue of the Daily Prophet. His godfather was on the front page, expression grim and tired as numerous lights from reporter's cameras flashed in the picture. The headline read 'Prominent Ministry Official's Home Robbed'. Dimitri gasped and took the paper, quickly pulling it open to devour the story. Glenn leaned in to read it over his shoulder.

_Fraldarius estate, home of the Ministry's esteemed Head of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, was broken into in the late hours of Tuesday evening._ The paper read. Felix hurried over to join them, his own copy clenched tightly in his fist. “Has father written to either of you?” He asked as he pushed his way onto the bench at Dimitri's side. They both shook their heads, and Felix reached over them to point further down the paragraph. _Mr. Fraldarius commented only on his relief that both himself and his children had not been home, and confirms that nothing of any significance had been taken. Early sources at the scene, however, report noticing several members of Hogwarts' officers leaving the scene before his statement was given._ “If it was supposed to be a secret, which it probably was, the idiots are just announcing it for the whole world to see.” Felix wasn't wrong, Dimitri thought. Memories of the many times Rodrigue had lamented over the poor practices of the folks at the Daily Prophet flickered at the back of his mind.

“What do you figure the officers were doing there?” Glenn mused. After a moment, he leaned in a whispered, “do you think it has something to do with that thing Professor Cichol dropped off over the summer?” Their eyes widened. It had to be.

“Professor Cichol brought something to your house this summer?” Ingrid asked. The boys nodded, and the rest of their friends leaned forward with curiosity to listen. They all looked at each other nervously when they explained the grim promise Rodrigue had made to the Hufflepuff head of house.

Professor Bishop rose to make an announcement before dinner that evening. The din of the hall settled down quickly when she took her place at her podium, and she waited patiently for the silence that followed. “Thank you for your attention, dear students. I will make this quick. Effective immediately, the corridor at the far end of the third floor is strictly off limits to all students. Officers will be posted at the area on rotation to deter any of you whom may take this development as a challenge.” The noise of the hall rose ever more when she retook her seat, speculation on this new rule hot on everyone's minds.

“You don't think this has something to do with what happened this morning, do you?” Dimitri asked Glenn.

“I'm pretty positive it does,” Glenn replied. He looked thoughtful, his thoughts far off.

“Don't go getting any ideas,” Ingrid warned him at his look. He gave her an easy smile and leaned back on the bench. “I'm serious, Glenn! They're even posting officers there. And you're a prefect! You can't go breaking a rule the moment it's made.”

“Relax Ingrid!” He laughed at her tirade, holding his hands up in defense. “Who do you think they're hiding up there that's got you so scared? You Know Who himself?” Dimitri's stomach clenched, and realization rang hollow in his mind. He suddenly knew why Claude had thought Dimitri would have a clue as to who had been hunting unicorns in the Forbidden Forest.

Dimitri found Claude on his way to class the next afternoon. “You couldn't mean You Know Who,” He whispered urgently as he caught his arm and dragged him to the side of the hall. The look on Claude's face told Dimitri all he needed to know. He blanched and released him. “In...in the Forbidden Forest?” He gasped. Though Claude's tone remained light, his voice was serious.

“I know, creepy right? But I can't think of anything else.” They were quiet for a few long moments, then. The halls slowly emptied and the bells of the clock tower warned them of the time, but the boys ignored it. “I figured if anyone would want to know, it would be you,” Claude finally said. He looked a bit uncomfortable, as if he regretted sharing his theory.

“Thank you for telling me!” Dimitri told him at once, his voice adamant. “Really, you were right. I want to know.” He trailed off, then, his face hardening. The voices wailed, straining against his mind with their impatience. Claude's eyes narrowed, and he caught Dimitri's arm as he turned to leave.

“Hey, hold on.” Dimitri obeyed, and Claude started a bit at the foreign expression on his classmate's face. “Listen, I just wanted you to know because, you know...your past and stuff. But not so you could go and do something crazy!” He hurried to add the second bit at Dimitri's determined nod. “Look, there's no way Professor Bishop hasn't figured it out, too. She's had the officers going in the forest every night! There's nothing you can do out there that they aren't already doing, so don't even think about it, ok?”

“Of course,” Dimitri mumbled. He knew Claude didn't buy it in the least, but he did not care. “I'm sorry, Claude, but I'm late for class. If you'll excuse me.” With that he turned, ignoring Claude's worried protests as he walked away. There would be no explaining it to him, Dimitri thought when he could hear him no more. The silence of the corridors lent a pressing weight to the furious voices of the dead. He wouldn't have the time to try and explain it, anyway. He suddenly had something very, very important to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad Dimi >:(
> 
> For any of you reading these, I need your opinion! Beyond a mention of Seteth's hair in the first chapter that I might just go back and fix, I've been avoiding talking mentioning the many odd hair colors of the characters. A lot of the time this will be easy to keep up, but should the need to say it arise I'm curious about everyone's preferences over the matter. Do you think they should be assigned a natural hair color? Or do you think I should keep it as canon, and write it as if they are natural-not-at-all-unusual occurrences? It is a tiny detail, but it matters to me dammit xD
> 
> I have the next chapter started and just found out I have no work this week, so expect to see it in two days, tops. Following that we are going to indulge in a little bit of slice of life and character love, because seeing them as little munchkins is at least half of the fun, isn't it? As always, thank you so much for continuing to read my fic, and thank you a million times over to those of you who have been giving me such warm support. Much love, always! <3


	7. Chapter Seven: Voices Answered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret Dimitri has been keeping from his loved ones rears its ugly head, and the results are deadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a mental health professional. I apologize in advance if anything in my story is offensibly inaccurate, and implore you to reach out to me that I may fix it if that is the case.

In the days following, Dimitri became consumed with his obsession. As if some trigger had been flipped in his mind, gone was the gentle and earnest student, replaced by a muttering and malignant creature that could scarcely function as a human. Absent from his classes and every other daily function, Dimitri had taken to the dark nooks and crannies of the castle, angled ever toward the dark expanse of the forbidden forest, that his gaze may pierce its dense boughs and reveal to him his quarry. Many of the school officers, tasked initially with getting to the bottom of the unicorn mystery, had their focus directed instead back to the school as the students and staff began a panicked search for the missing boy. They did not have to search for very long.

Dimitri swept from his most recent hiding space quite suddenly in the early morning hours of the third day since his disappearance. His school cloak, heavy and stiff with dirt and sweat, swung oddly about his heels as he descended the abandoned stairwell and made his way onto the dark grounds. The air was cold and still as the grave, and a series of light crunches followed in the wake of his paces over the frozen grass. It had been unseasonably cool as of late, though Dimitri could not even register the dangerous bite of the cold as it crept easily through his dirty clothes.

He had not been able to think of much at all since he had discovered the answer to Claude's question. The voices of the dead had crescendoed into a madness inducing fever pitch the moment it had been confirmed, and they had not quieted a lick in the time that had passed. They plagued his every breath, both sleeping and awake, screaming and wailing a constant mantra of demands and accusations. _Find him,_ they screeched, _end him find him end him kill him. KILL HIM. AVENGE US_.

Dimitri hunched his shoulders and grit his teeth against their persistent noise. He made it to the edge of the forest undisturbed; though he did not know it, those that would normally stand in his way walked the very halls he had just abandoned, searching for him still. He did not linger outside the treeline as he normally might have. Self preservation had abandoned him with the rest of his senses and so it was without hesitation that the mad eleven year old charged into the dangerous depths of the Forbidden Forest. Cold wrenched at Dimitri's limbs as he ran along, his heavy and quickly numbing feet whipping up a cacophony of snapping twigs and rustling leaves. He hadn't the slightest idea how long he'd been running when a gloved hand shot out of the darkness and firmly grasped the back of his cloak. Someone behind him grunted, and though Dimitri struggled, snarling like a wild animal, it dragged him roughly to the ground.

Rolled onto his back and pressed firmly to the cold forest floor, Dimitri bared his teeth at the boy above him. Claude tugged back his hood, eyes wide with fear and concern even as his lips twisted with anger. “I told you not to do anything stupid,” he hissed.

“Get off of me,” Dimitri snarled. He twisted beneath him, bucking and writhing in an attempt to get him off. Where he would normally have found success against the smaller boy, he failed, his cold numbed and starved limbs far too heavy to be of much use. Claude doubled down on his strength and pinned Dimitri's arms to his sides.

“Dimitri, stop it! Everyone's been looking for you for _three days_. Have you even eaten anything? Because you definitely haven't showered.” Claude stared at Dimitri when he gnashed his teeth in response.

“If you don't off of me I will destroy you!” Dimitri seethed, and a startled laugh bubbled out of his captor's throat.

“A bit over dramatic, don't you think? How about you shut up before you bring Voldemort crashing down at us from the darkness, yeah?” Dimitri's retort died a bit on his tongue at Claude's use of You Know Who's name, and Claude jumped on the quiet brought upon him in his flicker of surprise. He rolled off of Dimitri and offered a hand to help him to his feet. Dimitri shrugged him off when he tried to help him dust the mess off his cloak. He regarded him with the wary gaze of a caged and beaten animal, and his jaw set at Claude's piteous look.

“What are you doing here?” He asked him gruffly. Claude chewed on the inside of his cheek and watched him for a long moment, turning his answer over in his mind. He spoke just before Dimitri lost his patience again.

“I figured you would try to come out here, eventually,” he finally said. “Told the teachers and everyone about it, but I've been watching cuz...y'know. Can't help but feel a little responsible, I guess.” Scoffing, Dimitri turned away and continued his journey further into the woods. Claude hurried to keep pace with him, swearing as he stumbled on a thick root.

“Go back to bed, Claude,” Dimitri warned him. Still, he persisted.

“I'm not going anywhere without you, I'm afraid. So try not to get me killed, yeah?” Dimitri grunted in response, and Claude sighed. “Can you at least try to quiet down a bit? I found you even running all the way from the castle because you were making so much damn noise.” He heeded this, at least, and began to consider each step a bit more carefully.

The moonlight penetrated the trees less and less the further they got, and soon the two boys could hardly see two feet in front of their faces. Claude slipped his wand from his robes and murmured the incantation for light despite Dimitri's protests. “We keep going like this, and you'll trip over old Voldy's ankles,” Claude hissed at him. “Come on, I'm getting cold and you're barely shivering any more. If you refuse to come back with me you better keep going, or it's going to get real easy for me to drag you back real soon.” Dimitri bared his teeth again but obeyed. Though he gave it little thought, some quiet part of his brain knew full well what the cold could do to the unprepared.

They walked for what seemed like an eternity to Claude and yet a moment to Dimitri. His feet were numb in his trainers as they paced the forest floor, barely faltering when they caught jarringly over thick roots and buried rocks. Claude winced with every thud of his determined companion's feet.

A flicker of brilliant white danced at the edge of the boys vision and they both stilled in an instant. Something rose in Dimitri's throat, sharp and solid and difficult to breathe around as his eyes followed after the beautiful creature. Something shifted in him while he watched her, a sort of warmth flickering to life deep within the cold that had encased him. The grand creature made no sound as she picked carefully through the undergrowth, head bent in her quest for food. Unthinking, he slowly came forward, his head titled. Claude firmly grasped his shoulder and hauled him back, shooting him a panicked and disbelieving look. The unicorn's head jerked up in surprise at the sudden noise, then turned swiftly to the side. Whatever she saw then clearly startled her more, and she let out a panicked sound before dashing out of sight. Dimitri looked wildly around for whatever had spooked her, but his eyes struggled to readjust from the brilliance of her glow.

A jet of venomous green light shot at him through the darkness, and the sharp pressure in Dimitri's throat disappeared, shoved away by a panicked scream. Claude bellowed something he couldn't catch, and Dimitri found himself being dragged roughly to the side. “Now can we go?!” Claude yelled, his voice cracking with panic. Dimitri nodded hurriedly and grasped at him, returning the favor and jerking them both out of the way of another jet of light.

“Run!” He gasped, and without further prodding Claude grabbed his arm and took off. Dimitri wasn't sure if they were leaving the forest, or going deeper in. He could hardly remember the moments that had brought him here in the first place. Still they pressed on, their only concern the amount of space and objects between them and their pursuer. Dimitri heard the loud crunching of his own frenzied steps echoed in the movement of whoever had taken chase. The world around him lit again in that sickening shade of green and Dimitri dove for the cover of a tree. His feet caught jarringly at its roots, and they sent him sprawling hard against the cold, wet dirt. He grunted when his head made direct contact, at it sent stars swimming across his suddenly blurred vision as the curse collided with a tree with a loud _crack_.

He struggled to get his feet back under him, his exhausted and freezing arms slipping uselessly over the dead leaves coating the ground. Fear pulsed like a sledgehammer in his already pounding head, and a sharp knot wound tightly in his chest. He was about to die, he thought. The green light would be the last thing he ever saw, just like his father. Dimitri swallowed around the rise of hot bile in his throat. He managed to grasp the bottom of the tree that had saved his life, and with difficulty he dragged himself to his feet. Too late, he thought. The footsteps were closer, now. Slow and careful as they stalked their cornered prey. Dimitri fingered at the hilt of his wand and tried to force himself to calm down.

A jet of red light suddenly lit the darkness, hurtling toward them from another direction, and Dimitri heard the loud hissing crack of it colliding with a branch none too far from his hiding place. The footsteps that had been stalking him changed course, moving quickly away from him, and a moment later a responding jet of green shot in the direction the red had come. “Dimitri!” Claude called, and a woman's voice rose next to his, sending another stunning jinx into the darkness. Knees locked in panic, Dimitri struggled to force himself to move away from the tree. It wasn't until the green curse flared around them again that he was able to shove himself away, panting with exertion as he raced toward Claude's voice. A tall woman clad in the silver accented robes of the officer's squad met him first, the lit tip of her wand casting her focused face in a strange glow. Her strong hand griped tightly around his arm and she pulled him roughly along.

“Got him, Shamir!” She hauled Dimitri to Claude as the stated officer continued in her duel with the still-hidden figure. Dimitri could see her now, ducking nimbly through the trees and seeming to easily spot her quarry in the darkness before she'd loose another spell. The responses were coming farther apart, now.

“They're retreating.” Shamir's voice was clipped, clear and distinguishable given even the gap between herself and the others.

“Not much we can do about it. Priority is getting these two thick skulls back to the castle.” The woman who had grabbed Dimitri said, frowning at them. Claude held up his hands defensively.

“I was just trying to help,” he tried, but the officer shook her head. Catherine, Dimitri remembered. Her family also lived in Grenwich Grove.

“Save it, kid. You lost any credit you gained by telling us he was here by chasing after him yourself. What, did you want both of you to get killed? Kids! Never using their brains,” Catherine dragged her hand roughly through her hair as Shamir rejoined them. Intimidating on a normal day, her expression when she stepped into the light of Catherine's wand was positively deadly.

“Do the two of you have any idea what you have done? What you have risked?” Dimitri hung his head, unwilling to keep eye contact with her. He was becomingly quite uncomfortably aware of just how stupid he had been. The worst thing was, he could hardly remember the thoughts that had brought him to this decision. A new fear stirred in him as the group made their way out of the woods, and he shifted uncomfortable under the dread born of his own uncertainty. The voices were one thing, he thought. Something he could handle, surely, given enough practice. But this? Losing all thought and reason, all control of himself? He didn't know what to think. He didn't even know if that was truly what had happened. Self doubt clawed at him.

Catherine and Shamir were relatively quiet on the way back, breaking the silence only to murmur softly to each other here and there. They kept the boys firmly ahead of them and their voices too low to catch, though Claude strained to hear. “Thanks for saving our lives,” he finally said when they'd made it to the stone steps of the entrance hall. Catherine laughed.

“Thank us if the headmistress decides to allow you to keep your heads,” she teased. The levity broke a bit of the tension, and Dimitri felt a bizarre, nervous smile twist over his lips. A new voice echoed through the hall, and Dimitri turned to see Professor Eisner approaching them.

“Beheadings aren't Rhea's style, boys. Don't worry,” he chuckled. His expression then turned serious as he looked over Dimitri. “My kid's been about as beside herself as she gets the last few days looking for you. Says she's failing as a prefect already.” Dimitri flushed and looked away. Byleth, the female prefect of Glenn's year, had not said much to him at all that year. She didn't appear to speak much in general, really. It was embarrassing to hear that she had been so concerned for him. He thought of Felix, then, and dread fell hard into his stomach. Felix was going to _kill _him. Professor Eisner joined them en route to the hospital wing, falling quickly into conversation with the officer's. Dimitri had heard that he'd led as Captain, once. It didn't make much sense, though – he already hardly seemed old enough to have been teaching for so long.

The hospital wing was dark when they arrived, though a light lit behind the privacy windows of the nurse's quarters the moment they entered. The door to the small space slid open, and a startling small girl with a full head of mint green hair hurried out to greet them. Her eyes widened when she took in Dimitri's state, and her expression of shock was quickly replaced with fierce determination. “Bed!” She commanded him, her voice nearly shrill. “Get to a bed and pull the curtains to undress at once, I will get you some clean and warm clothes. You too, Claude. Shoo!” She hurried them both to the rows of beds, and they were quick to obey.

Dimitri looked questioningly to Claude when she scurried to a set of large cabinets by the entrance, and he only smiled and shrugged. “Sorry for bothering you so late, Flayn,” he called to her. Dimitri wondered how the two of them already seemed to be familiar with each other, but it did not ring nearly so curious as to her clearly very young age.

“Not a bother at all, I had actually been awake. Claude, I told you to start getting undressed!” She wheeled from the cabinet doors and shook a stern finger at him, and Claude scurried behind his bed curtains to comply. Dimitri saw Professor Eisner leaving as he slipped behind his own, as Catherine and Shamir came forward to discuss what had happened with Flayn. He strained to hear what they were saying as he fought to free himself of his heavy cloak. He finally noted the state he was in, and he grimaced as he peeled the dirty layers away. His skin was ice beneath his slowly warming hands, and when Flayn's wand poked through the curtains and tapped a heating charm onto his blanket, Dimitri began to shiver violently on top of it. He had been dangerously cold, he realized as he quickly tugged the blissfully warm blanket over his body. He may have died from the cold alone had Claude not found him.

“Are you decent?” Flayn asked a few minutes later. Dimitri nodded jerkily, then, realizing she could not see him, reached out to tug the curtains open himself. He feared he may bite off his own tongue if he attempted to speak. Flayn tsk'd sharply when she saw him and quickly set the bundle of clothes in her arms down. She scurried to another set of cabinets and retrieved from them a heavy looking bottle cast in shades of molten amber. Dimitri felt warmer just looking at it. He watched, intrigued by her adept and precise movements as she poured a measure of the bright orange liquid into a small cup. She tasked Dimitri with sitting and when he was finally upright, tilted the cup to his lips.

Warmth spilled through him in strong waves as he swallowed the lightly spicy syrup, and with a few last violent shudders the last of his chill fell away. “Better?” Flayn asked, and he gave her a grateful smile and nod.

“I want some, too,” Claude complained next to him. He had already gotten changed and looked rather comfortable snuggled into his bed.

“You are not edging away from hypothermia,” Flayn told him. Even still she brought the bottle over and poured Claude a small dose of his own. He thanked her happily before he tipped it back, and a happy little expression fell over his face. The doors to the infirmary opened again, and this time Mcgonagall and Seteth swept inside. Dimitri's face fell, and when Mcgonagall's livid expression fell upon him he felt a chill creep up his spine once more. She held her dressing robe tightly closed as she swept to his side.

“How is he?” She asked Flayn as her dark eyes scanned Dimitri's face.

“He has only just gotten here, but I think he will be fine,” Flayn assured her. “He just needs some rest, and I'm sure plenty of food and water.” Mcgonagall nodded. Her lips were in a tight, thin line, and she gave Dimitri a very unimpressed look when she straightened.

“The school has been worried half to death,” she told him. “Kindly explain yourself, Mr. Blaiddyd.” Seteth crossed his arms over his chest and turned from Claude to await Dimitri's answer, as well. His throat felt dry, restricted. What explanation was there for his behavior? He vaguely understood that it had been several days since he had last been to his own bed. He could even faintly remember hiding from people searching the halls for him. But he could not remember the purpose or thought behind it, and he could not think of how to begin to explain that to two of the strictest members of the school's staff. Would they kick him out? Deem him unsuited to sharing the halls of the school with the other children? Would they perhaps send him to St. Mungo's, to spend the rest of his days curled in a ball on a bed like this, trying to block the voices from his mind?

“Perhaps the two of you could be so kind as to hold your questions until they've had a moment to recover,” Flayn reprimanded them, and Dimitri decided in that moment that whoever this small girl was, he liked her very much.

“Of course, Flayn. Our apologies,” Seteth relaxed at once, much to Dimitri's surprise. The two of them actually looked quite similar. Family, perhaps? He noticed then that Mcgonagall had had her hand on his arm, and it tightened as Flayn continued to scold them for disturbing her patients. His head of house looked at him for a long moment, seemingly ignoring the nurse, and now Dimitri saw vivid concern in her eyes.

“We will speak privately in the afternoon, when you have gotten some rest,” she told him, voice low enough to be missed by Flayn. Dimitri nodded in understanding and she squeezed his arm before she pulled back.

“Let's leave them be, then,” she said. Seteth voiced his agreement and joined her.

“Claude, come and see me in my office the moment you are released. Understood?” He called from the door. Claude groaned and nodded, sliding further down his bed while they left.

“Your father is real scary when he wants to be, Flayn,” he complained. The nurse giggled.

“It is all just show, I assure you. Well, with you students, anyway. He is quite the force to be reckoned with, should the need arise.” Her voice got a little far off, then, but she banished whatever thoughts had caused it quickly.

“How long have you been working in the infirmary?” Dimitri carefully asked, trying to avoid being rude. Flayn gave him a soft and knowing smile.

“It's quite alright Dimitri, everyone who meets me for the first time is always curious about my age. I will tell you what I tell everyone else: I am far older than I look, but an accident in my youth has given me this permanent appearance.” The words seemed very practiced, though she delivered them smoothly.

“So she says, anyway,” Claude teased. Flayn whacked him with a bit of cloth, and he laughed. She finished attending them, and while she checked over both boys to banish any stray scrapes they'd collected in their adventure, a full tray of food popped up on Dimitri's side tray. A bowl of fruit appeared for Claude, who technically wasn't even supposed to be awake.

“Be sure you eat as much as you can,” Flayn told Dimitri as she finished and gathered her supplies. “Then I want you to drink that potion I poured in the paper cup, yes that one, and get some sleep. I'm closing this wing to visitors until you wake from the effects on your own.” She retreated then, and Dimitri eagerly pulled the tray of food onto his lap. He was suddenly ravenous.

He woke late that afternoon to the sensation of fists pummeling his side. He jerked awake, rubbing roughly over his blurry eyes until Felix's furious face came fully into view. He grabbed a pillow from the next bed over when he deemed him coherent enough, and hit him hard upside the head. Dimitri swatted at it with tired protest, but Felix merely swung it again. “Where have you _been_,” he snarled as he swung. Dimitri finally caught hold of it and tugged it from his abuser's hands. Felix stood there seething, his fists clenched into tight balls at his sides.

“I can explain if you give me a moment,” Dimitri gasped when Felix lunged to attack him again. “Please, calm down!”

“Calm down?” His voice was incredulous, and guilt stirred heavily in Dimitri's chest. “I thought you had been kidnapped, Dimitri! I thought you died! It's been THREE DAYS!” At a loss for an immediate response, Dimitri weakly passed the pillow back to Felix. He wasn't terribly surprised when he immediately raised it to hit him again.

“I'm sorry,” he mumbled when it smacked against the side of his face. “I'm sorry, Felix. I...I don't know.” Felix stilled, watching him carefully. Slowly he relaxed, the pillow sliding away from Dimitri in his slackened grip. Fury and fear melted softly away, replaced by a terribly vulnerable expression of concern. His eyes shimmered with gathering tears, and it tugged hard on Dimitri's chest.

“What's going on with you?” He climbed onto the bed and slowly, shakily, Dimitri began to explain. He told Felix about the voices, and how they had first appeared that night on the ledge outside his bedroom window. He told them who they sounded like and, strengthened by the steadfast presence of his dearest friend, he admitted the things that they said. Felix's hand held tightly to Dimitri's while he stumbled over his words, his carefully manicured nails biting sharply into his skin with his effort to steady them both. Dimitri felt the damp warmth of tears sliding down his own cheeks, and he roughly wiped them away with his sleeve. Felix stayed silent, watching him carefully. He waited for a long moment when Dimitri seemed to be done.

“Why didn't you tell me?” His voice was soft, hurt even. Dimitri squeezed his eyes closed and slumped.

“I don't know, Felix. Because I was embarrassed. Because I was afraid. Because I didn't want you to think me mad.” He bit hard at his cheek as the prickle of tears hit the back of his eyes again.

“You have to trust me, Dimitri!” Felix told him, his voice sharp. “I would never abandon you!” Dimitri gave him a weak and grateful smile. Felix still looked rather upset, though. “You need to tell father, too.” Dimitri slumped.

“He will likely find out before I get the chance to tell him myself. Professor Mcgonagall will be here to meet with me any moment, and I plan on telling her everything.” Felix nodded slowly as Dimitri spoke, seeming satisfied. Dimitri felt shame over his stupidity in hiding any of it in the first place. Could all of this have been avoided if he had? He looked to the next bed over, but Claude had clearly already been cleared to leave. It sat neatly made, as though he had never occupied it in the first place. The mad bit of Dimitri's mind goaded him with the thought that Claude had never been with him the night before, at all. He cringed, and shook it roughly away. Felix squeezed his hand again.

“I'm glad you're going to tell her, Dimi,” he told him softly, edging him gently away from whatever thoughts threatened to pull him back away. Dimitri looked up and Felix grasped at the back of his neck. He tilted their heads close and pressed their foreheads together. It was what Dimitri did to calm him, he thought. From nightmares, from summer storms. Their breath mingled in the space between them, and peace settled into his chest once more.

Felix stayed to help Dimitri practice what he was going to say to Mcgonagall. He'd miraculously garnered the patience to stop by Gryffindor tower before coming to the hospital wing, and had gotten Glenn to gather some clothes for Dimitri. He pulled them on while they talked, the familiar weight of the fabric a comfort in place of the loose and sterile smelling hospital gown. Felix insisted that Dimitri tell the Professor absolutely everything, venturing that she would likely be able to help him control the voices. Though it unnerved him greatly – vivid images of himself being bound in a straight jacket and tossed into an empty room at St. Mungo's flashed every time he thought of it – he finally agreed, eager at the possibility that the voices could be silenced.

They were poisonous today, twisting and seething his mind. They spit over his failure, called him weak, infantile to have retreated from the forest and hidden in the castle once more. His heart beat faster the more closely he listened to them, and every time it felt as though he were about to tip over the precarious ledge they set in front of him suddenly Felix would be there, strong and sturdy, holding him close and promising him that everything was going to be alright. Though these promises were still quickly laced with his frustration with Dimitri for not having told him sooner, Dimitri was thankful for them all the same.

Flayn came to see him off a little more than an hour after Felix had arrived. “Excuse me!” She gasped when she spotted the dark haired boy. “This wing is off limits to visitors! How did you get in here!” Felix shrugged and slunk off of the Dimitri's bed, shoving his hands immediately into the pockets of his robes.

“I dunno, it was easy. Keep better watch next time.” Flayn's cheeks puffed at his words, and she pointed an angry finger to the entrance.

“Out, right this instant! You should be in class! Do not make me retrieve Professor Manuela!” Felix scowled and with a nod to Dimitri he left. Flayn frowned after him, hands on her hips.

“I'm sorry, Flayn,” Dimitri said when Felix was gone. “He was a great help this morning, though.” Flayn sighed and turned back around.

“That's all very well, I suppose, but you were supposed to sleep longer. Well, no matter. If you're feeling up to it and are all ready to go, Professor Mcgonagall has requested you in her office.” Dimitri climbed eagerly from his bed while she spoke, though he paused at the end of her statement.

“The professor isn't coming here?” He asked. Flayn looked irritably around the room, then shrugged when her eyes fell upon him again.

“It would seem there are too many ears about,” she sighed. “She wishes to speak with you in private.” Unnerved by what these 'ears' she spoke of may have caught, Dimitri nodded stiffly and followed her small frame out to the main body of the wing. She tugged the door open for him and held it aside, fixing him with a bright smile.

“Thank you for everything, Flayn.”

“Thank me by not doing that to yourself again, alright?” He returned her smile and then turned, happy to leave the room behind him. The halls were relatively empty, and Dimitri struggled to do the math in his head as he made his way to the professor's office. It must be Friday, he thought as he walked. He wondered just how much he'd missed in his classes in the last few days, and how many of his teachers might be kind enough to pardon him from parts of the mountain of homework sure to be waiting for him.

Dimitri was half expecting Mcgonagall to be out teaching her own class, and was startled to hear her respond when he gently knocked on her door. He pushed it gently open, and peered nervously around the side. She appeared to be grading papers, and he relaxed at the lack of hostility on her face when she looked up. “Come on in, then. Shut the door behind you and take a seat.” Dimitri did as he was told and sank comfortably into one of the high armed chairs in front of her desk. He looked around curiously as she finished what she was working on. He had never thought of what her office might look like, but he was pleased to find it looked exactly like he might expect. Tastefully decorated with just the right number of stately and low key elements, the space was pleasant and still professional. She finally set her quill into her ink pot and flicked her wand at the papers, which shuffled themselves into a neat pile and tucked into an open drawer in her desk. She then grasped a decorative tin from the corner and tugged it open, holding it open to Dimitri. He blinked, startled at the spread of pretty cookies.

“Thank you,” he mumbled softly as he took one. He bit into it gingerly, carefully trying to stop from making a mess and embarrassing himself more than was necessary. She selected one for herself and set the tin back aside. There was something oddly soothing about watching the composed and austere woman much away on a crumbly sweet.

“I have been in correspondence with your godfather,” she began, and the levity of the coming conversation hit Dimitri again. “He explained to me that for some time this summer, you were not acting like yourself. You should know, I think, how entirely beside himself he was for not having pressed the matter back then.” Her voice was not accusatory, but shame buried Dimitri nonetheless.

“I will have to apologize,” Dimitri began, but she raised a hand and shook her head. He bit into his cookie again and looked away. She leaned forward, clasping her hands on her desk, and looked at him steadily.

“My question for you, Mr. Blaiddyd, is if something has been happening with you that you think may attribute to the behavior you have demonstrated over the last few days. I should think that this will determine the direction our conversation goes.” She waited patiently for his response, and Dimitri felt a stray bit of sweat trickle down the back of his neck. Images of St. Mungo's came to mind again, and he griped roughly at the side of her desk to steady himself against them.

Dimitri took several long, careful breaths before he began. Felix's reassurance rang in his mind, then, and he found the words to start. “I have been hearing voices. Familiar ones, of my family. Since this summer.” He almost couldn't keep looking at her, his fear of her reaction a vice on his heart. Though concern knit immediately over her brow, he relaxed when he saw no clear indication of damnation on her face.

“Well I am no professional, Mr. Blaiddyd, but I have a little knowledge in this area.” She rose from her desk and paced to a tall bookshelf against a sidewall, from which she retrieved a thick book bound in dark shades of navy. She flicked it open and returned to her desk. “Please, continue. Describe in as much detail as you can. Do you know that you are imagining them, for example?” Dimitri's stomach twisted into a knot. He had been dreading this question, one of few Felix had not touched upon.

“There...is no easy answer to that,” he carefully told her. “While I do know, in most senses, that they are not there, there is never a moment that they do not feel real. They are every bit as clear and present as your own voice, here across from me. When they speak, it doesn't feel like I'm hearing them in my mind. It's like they are in the room with me.” He wrung at the hem of his shirt while he spoke. The admission was difficult to make, as though confessing that his mind was not strong enough even to separate imagination from fact.

Professor Mcgonagall came to surprise him, however. Their conversation stretched at length, and Dimitri found himself telling her more than he had practiced with Felix. More, even, than he had told his friend. The more they spoke, the more sure he became that she could help him, and the desire to be free of the cries of the dead burned hot under his skin. The professor summoned a late lunch on her desk after they'd been speaking for awhile, and referenced her book while Dimitri ate. She laced her fingers together on top of it when he was done, nodding as if she were agreeing with some unspoken statement. “Mr. Blaiddyd, have you ever heard of schizophrenia?” She asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take a moment to specially thank users nicthetoony359, Kamiitaru, and Omelevate. You guys have helped me so much with your continued comments through the chapters, and I think of you a lot when I'm putting out new work. This is a big project, and the early moments really are a struggle as I try to maintain balance of not showing too much of my hand too soon, and keeping the tales of the little ones interesting enough for an older audience. So seriously, THANK YOU, so much. I'm taking a few weeks break when I'm done with this to pump out a few one shots, and I will happily take a direct request from each of you if you have any you would like to see from me.
> 
> I'm sorry if the ending of this was a little mean, guys! I didn't want to drag us all down with a detailed explanation of the mental illness, and continuing the chapter to events following the conversation would have made it too long/over saturated it with events. But abrupt ends mean more fuel for the next chapter. This one will be out between Sunday - Tuesday, as Sims has a new expansion that I've been dying to play releasing in like...an hour. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Much love, always <3


	8. Chapter Eight: Quiet and Query

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri gets answers he didn't know he needed and is able to turn his focus to school once again. Rivalries flare as his secrets get out, but the Boy Who Lived is no stranger to unwanted attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a cooldown from the eventful chapter before. Enjoy <3

Dimitri spent the rest of that weekend in the back rooms of the hospital wing. Teachers sent homework and reading to cover the classes that he had missed, and he dove gratefully into the busy work to distract himself from his own heavy thoughts. The first morning brought visitors; mental health specialists from St. Mungo's. A cold hand of dread pressed at Dimitri's stomach when he first caught sight of their uniforms, and though they assured him that they had no intention of taking him from the school, it took much of the first day for him to fully relax around them. They did not give him an official diagnosis until they packed their things to leave on Sunday evening.

Dimitri's condition was not so easily labeled, they told him. In the end they diagnosed him with two things: schizoeffective and post traumatic stress disorder. They gave him a case filled with medicine vials, and coached him through just what it was that his brain was doing when it summoned the voices in his head. The medicine was not an instant cure all, they told him. It may take some trial and error. Some days would still be hard. It was better than nothing, though, Dimitri thought when they took their leave. He held the tiny bottle of his daily dose of medicine delicately between his fingers, turning it this way and that to watch the moonlight catch over the glass. This was going to help him, he thought. The idea calmed him, and he slid his leather bound case over to pop the vial back inside.

Flayn found him staring at the ceiling when she came to visit on her nightly rounds. She gave him a warm smile as she set about drawing the curtains. “How are you feeling, Dimitri?” She asked.

“Better than I have since summer, in most ways.” He was surprised by how much truth there was to this statement. Really, the only thing putting a damper on his mood at this point was imagining what his first day back among his classmates would be like. He forced images of prying eyes and hissing whispers of gossip out of his mind.

“I'm so happy to hear that!” Flayn gushed. “I want you to know that you can always come here if you think that you need some peace and quiet, okay? Your mental health is just as important as all the little physical accidents I see in here. And I can contact the hospital if you ever need it, so promise you will remember that, will you?”

“You sound like you're kicking me out,” Dimitri laughed. He paused when Flayn flushed a little. “Oh, or you are. Please, don't worry! I was just kidding, I have no problem leaving.” He hurried to get out of the bed, mentally kicking himself. Every time he tried Glenn and Felix's derisive humor – every single time – he wound up putting his foot in his mouth. He wondered when he would learn to just stop and accept the fact that his sense of humor was terrible.

“You don't have to hurry, Dimitri. It's just that you have been cleared, and I thought you would want to be able to talk to your housemates before bed.” She sounded guilty, and he would have none of it. He understood very well why Claude was so comfortable coming to bother Flayn at the hospital wing – which he had done all of four times in the less than two days Dimitri had been there. The young woman had a radiant warmth and kindness that did not falter even under Claude's persistent poisoning accidents. Dimitri reassured her over and over while he got dressed that he didn't feel put out, and relented only when she began to laugh. The musical sound followed him into the corridor, and when the heavy doors snapped shut, the dark and silent hall made it feel as though he'd stepped into another world.

It wasn't long after dinner, but Sunday nights always saw the hallways empty early as students flocked back to their common rooms to finish last minute homework or get an early night's rest. Dimitri took his time walking back to Gryffindor tower, his box of medicine a reassuring weight beneath his arm. Flayn had offered to keep it in her wing for him, but the idea of being seen visiting her to take it every morning galled him. This way, at least, he could attempt to keep the knowledge contained to his dorm. Whatever else they may be, the four boys he shared a room with were all virtuous at heart, and he was confident his secret would be kept. Lost in thought, he nearly collided with someone when he made it to the grand staircase.

“Awfully careless for someone who just got out of a weekend's stay in the infirmary,” Edelgard chided him as she side stepped his thoughtless steps. He flushed, hurrying to apologize, and she waved it off.

“What are you doing in this part of the castle so late?” He asked her instead. Slytherin dormitories were a fair distance away, deep enough in the dungeons that Felix had confirmed they were beneath the black lake.

“It's not so terribly late.” Edelgard was hedging, but he did not care to press on what. Prying would be a bit antithetic to his own state. “I've been worried about you, Dimitri. May I join you?” Startled, Dimitri nodded perhaps a little more quickly than was strictly necessary. She smiled, however, and turned to follow him up the stairwell.

“Be honest with me; how bad is it going to be tomorrow?” He asked, mostly teasingly as they walked. She chuckled.

“You get your fair share of gossip on a normal day, Dimitri. But vanishing into thin air for three days, only to be dragged out of the forest and into a weekend long stay at the hospital wing? You won't see the end of it all week, I expect.” He sighed heavily at her words. He hadn't been expecting anything less, honestly, but it still did not make it very pleasant to hear.

“Can I ask what you've heard?”

“Only if you promise to tell me the truth of it after,” she quipped. He smiled and nodded, though before she could open her mouth to reply she paused, head tilting curiously to the side. “Isn't that...Claude?” Dimitri followed her gaze, a light frown tugging at his lips when he caught sight of his new friend. He about sent Dimitri's heart leaping into his throat when he nonchalantly stepped off his moving staircase, right on to the platform for the back half of the third floor corridor.

“I have to follow him,” Dimitri gasped. He dashed along the stairs without another word, Professor Bishop's warning of gruesome deaths ringing in the back of his head. Edelgard hurried after him, and together they leapt onto the platform from a stair section above. They looked at each other when they landed, equally startled by their daring, before memory returned and they raced to catch up with their classmate. There was no sight of Claude when they rounded into the darker section of the deserted corridor, and worry knotted its way into Dimitri's chest.

“How did he disappear so quickly?” Edelgard gasped when she too noted his absence. They could see the end of the hall, now, too far for Claude to have reached before they arrived.

“Boo,” a soft voice said, and Edelgard and Dimitri whirled to their left. Claude stood there laughing, hands raised in surrender to the wand tips suddenly pointed at his heart. “Geez, you two, take it easy!” Edelgard scowled and though she lowered her wand, she did not put it away.

“I'd ask if you were insane, but I think where we're standing is answer enough for that,” she hissed at him. He simpered under her irritation, spinning his own light colored wand between his fingers. The same thing the teachers had warned him against countless times.

“Yet here you are, Edelgard. Curiosity get the best of ya? Dying to see what big, deadly secret they're hiding in a castle full of school children?” Though she set her jaw, her expression did nothing to contradict him.

“We're here because we were worried,” Dimitri said before she could reply.

“That's why _you're_ here, at least,” Claude chuckled. “I appreciate it, Dimitri. Tell you what: you follow me and be my backup, and we can call it even on the life saving. Deal?” Dimitri spluttered, tripping over the many reasons Claude's words were insane while Edelgard crossed her arms.

“What part of 'gruesome, painful death' seems to be escaping you, Claude?” Edelgard demanded. “Dimitri's right, we're only here to stop you from getting yourself killed. Let's go.”

Nobody made any move to leave. Dimitri shifted on his feet and looked nervously along the hall. His medicine was growing tiresomely heavy in his arm, and he traded it to his other to relieve some of the tension. The three of them were quiet for a long minute. Claude eventually gave them both a big smile. “Look at us, a bunch of edgy kids! Sneaking into the deadly corridor in the middle of the night.”

“Not so loud!” Dimitri hissed, glancing nervously back at the entrance to the stairwell. “We really should leave – no, not that way! What are you _doing_?” Claude had turned on his heel and begun to march his way to the door at the end of the hall. Edelgard hesitated for only a moment before she followed and, seeing no other way, Dimitri took off after them. He was not about to let either of them barrel into danger alone, especially considering what Claude had done for him only a few days before.

Edelgard took to the front when they reached the door, and Claude was only too happy to step back and allow her to take charge. He shrugged at Dimitri as she aimed her wand at the keyhole and muttered _alohamora_. A light swelled in the slot, and the handle raised without issue when she reached up to tug on it. She paused then, holding the door open but a crack as she looked over her shoulder at the boys. “Be ready,” she told them. They both nodded, wands raised. Dimitri wanted to tell her to step back, to let him go through the door first, but it was too late.

A great, warm gust of damp air washed over the trio as the door swung open, and they all staggered slightly back at the overwhelming smell. Dimitri felt his jaw go slack when he blinked into the dark room, wide eyes struggling to make sense of the massive creature curled up in the center of it. He had never seen something so large, each of its breaths strong enough to set their school robes rustling outside the door. He counted three heads, each easily the size of a muggle car, if not larger. The paws it rested on looked big enough to lay flat over an adult and leave no part of them showing. Edelgard swung the door back closed in an instant, her hand shaking as she tugged the latch back into place. A low, rumbling growl sounded in the room at the loud bang she created, and Dimitri shivered as it grew into a full snarl. They all backed away from the door, edging faster and faster until they were taking off down the hall in a full on run.

“What on Earth was that thing?!” Dimitri gasped when they'd finally made it back into the brightness of the grand stair case.

“A cerberus,” Claude panted back. “Where the heck did they get a cerberus?”

“More importantly, why did they bring it here?” Edelgard's pale hand gripped tightly at the railing as they all caught their breath. She looked as angry as she sounded.

“There must be a good reason,” Dimitri tried to assure her. She looked more than a little skeptical, though.

“What are you three doing?” They all jumped. Byleth, a Gryffindor fifth year and house prefect approached them from the higher floors. Dimitri didn't exactly find her unnervingly blank face a welcome sight when his nerves were singing and his heart threatened to beat its way out of his chest.

“We were just saying goodbye, actually,” Claude said when she caught up. Byleth's straight face did not falter, and they all shifted uncomfortably under it.

“Well, get going, then,” she finally said. “It's almost curfew for the first years, and you two have a long walk back.” Claude gave Dimitri an apologetic look and waved goodbye before trotting down the stairs. Edelgard hesitated, looking curiously at the prefect. They stared at each other for longer than Dimitri thought was normal before she, too, waved goodbye and set off down the stairs.

“Do you two know each other?” Dimitri asked, a bit startled by their little exchange. He followed Byleth as she made her way back up the stairs.

“No,” Byleth said simply, and then, “she seems interesting.”

“She is,” Dimitri agreed. They made the rest of the trip in silence, albeit a decently comfortable one.

“The password's changed,” Byleth told him. “We use 'horseman', now.” Dimitri nodded and used the phrase when the fat lady prompted him. He eyed the hole behind the canvas somewhat warily while Byleth climbed through, wondering just how crowded the common room would be. The fear was founded, unfortunately, and Dimitri ducked his head quickly against the sudden quiet that fell over the noisy room when he arrived. Whispers rose in a series of trickles after a moment, and he determinedly dodged every question about where he'd been as he hurried to the staircase to the dormitory. He closed the door of the first year boys' room against the noise with relief.

“Hey, Dimitri!” Caspar greeted him. Dimitri nodded and made way to his bed. Matilda dropped right onto his shoulder when he settled heavily onto it, and he laughed and nuzzled at her as she scrabbled against his face for attention.

“She's been missing you something crazy,” Neville told him, and Dimitri smiled.

“I missed you, too,” he mumbled against her fur. Satisfied with the amount of kisses he'd given her, she climbed instead onto the top of his head, happily burrowing in his hair to the best of her ability. Dimitri moved carefully so as not to disturb her while he cleared space for his medicine box on his night stand. He pretended not to notice how quiet the room was while he got himself situated for bed. The door opened a few minutes after he'd arrived, and Ferdinand and Ashe slipped in. They both aimed for casual tones when they greeted him with the others, and Dimitri was grateful for it. He pulled Matilda to rest in his hands when he was done, happily petting over her back.

“I'm sure you guys are curious about what happened,” he finally said. They all looked up in an instant, and he couldn't help but smile.

“Dying to know!” Caspar enthused. “Go on and tell us, then!”

“Let him take his time,” Ashe sighed.

Heartened by their familiar behavior, Dimitri gave them the explanation he'd practiced in his hospital bed. “I came to be diagnosed with a form of mental illness,” he began, and had to pause to swallow around the sharpness that had risen in his throat. It was going to be harder than he'd thought, it seemed.

“What's that?” Caspar asked, and for a moment they all forgot about Dimitri's explanation, turning instead to stare at the boy. Caspar blinked back at them, confused. “What?” He demanded.

“How do you not know what mental illness is?” Ferdinand asked.

“I don't know, I don't study health stuff!” He defended, flushing a bit.

“That doesn't matter!”

“Guys!” Ashe interrupted. Dimitri and Neville exchanged laughing smiles while the other three were distracted. “How about we let Dimitri continue?” They turned back to Dimitri, apologizing.

“Don't be sorry,” he laughed, “this is a lot more entertaining than what I have to say.” He gave it a moment for the air to settle before he continued. “I really would prefer not to go into detail about it, and I'm asking you guys to please not share anything I tell you with others. I get enough gossip as it is.” All four of the other boys nodded.

“We would never betray your trust,” Ferdinand vowed with all his usual flair. The others chimed their agreement, and Dimitri relaxed.

“It's not dangerous or anything,” he continued, “you guys don't have anything to be afraid of. I just...hear things sometimes. Things that aren't there. But now I've got medicine, and it's not going to happen any more. So everything is going to be fine.” He didn't give them much detail beyond that, and while they were good enough not to press him for more details Dimitri found himself still having to retreat under the uncomfortable weight of their repeated assurances that they thought no less of him. He lay wide awake while he listened to the room gradually become silent as sleep took his companions, watching as Matilda made herself comfortable along the top of his bed posts. Part of him – a very big, hollow part of him – already regretted telling these people that he still barely knew what little he had. But it was for the best, he reminded himself, eyes firmly closed as he tried to summon his own sleep. It was better for them to know what his medicine was for, rather than speculating and creating gossip. It was a political trick Rodrigue had taught him and his god brothers over the years.

“Never leave too much room for speculation on a sensitive subject,” he'd tell the boys, all eagerly absorbing this great wisdom from the successful man. “Give them just enough to sate the worst of their curiosity.” His strong reputation for handling journalists well was one of the things that had secured him the coveted position of department head in the Ministry. Dimitri's thoughts lingered on his adoptive family as sleep finally claimed him. They visited Ireland in his dreams, their traditional Halloween destination. He dreamed of the porch of the cabin brimming with the flickering glow of freshly carved pumpkins, of the rich aroma of their favorite spice cake baking in the oven, and the warmest of smiles spread over Dimitri's sleeping face.

He pretended not to notice Neville curiously watching him tip back a dose vial in the morning. Continued to feign obliviousness as the eyes of his fellow Gryffindors followed him across the floor of the common room, and passersby on the stairs shot him furtive glances. The idea that he would experience his day free of the maddening voices in his head gave Dimitri the bit of resolve it took to tell himself that it did not matter if they were staring at him more than usual. He managed to convince himself that it would pass, in time. He tried not to dwell on the fact that this would only mean they would return to their usual amounts of staring, which were still far too high for his comfort.

Breakfast was a welcome distraction, and he smiled at the warm greeting from the rest of the Gryffindors of his year. Mercedes pressed a small basket into his hands, filled with fresh looking pastries that appeared to have jam in the center. “I baked them last night,” she told him as he thanked her.

“I didn't know we were allowed to use the kitchens,” Hermione mused. Mercedes shrugged.

“We're not, but they understand now that I'm determined to keep practicing my baking, so they don't cause a fuss. It's pretty fun to work down there, actually!” She beamed, and Dimitri found himself imagining it, Mercedes mixing away while a dozen mortified elves watched her work. He didn't know if he felt more sympathy for them, or admiration for the determined girl who could have just asked them to make some treats for her.

A letter fell to the table in front of him with the arrival of the morning post, and Dimitri hurried to open it when he recognized Rodrigue's handsome writing across the front.

_Dimitri,_

_Word has just come about your diagnosis. While it upsets me a great deal that I was unable to join you while you were being evaluated, I am happy that they were able to tend to you there. Hogwarts is certainly a lot more welcoming than being whisked away to the city for the weekend, I'm sure. Before anything else, Dimitri, I hope you will find some comfort in what I have to share with you. Your mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia not long before she had you. While I do not know what her symptoms might have been when she was in her school years, I do know that it was something she had full control over with the assistance of medicated potions, and something neither your father nor any of her friends ever judged her for. However the circumstances of your childhood may have exacerbated the issue, I just wanted you to know that it is not something wholly consequential of that night. I hope you can find some peace in that._

_Now it has also been brought to my attention exactly what it was that you had been doing when you were finally discovered. While I would like to believe that your actions that night were entirely due to the circumstance of your dissociation, I also know far too well how bull headed you can be. Dimitri, you must promise me that no matter what you hear, no matter what you think, you will not go recklessly charging off like that again. You are surrounded by some of the most capable and trustworthy witches and wizards of our time, and each and every one of them can be relied upon to confront anything or anyone that may or may not pose a threat to you and your brothers._

_Promise me, please, and let me take comfort in knowing that all of my boys are safe at school._

_Love, your Godfather_

_Rodrigue_

Dimitri carefully folded the letter when he was finished and tucked it neatly back into its envelope. He had actually already known this about his mother; the doctors had shared it with him, as it was part of his family history in his medical file. While Dimitri had likely inherited it from her, they had also told him that the illness rarely manifested in people so young, and that the symptoms he was facing were likely more closely tied to his PTSD. He saw no reason to correct his godfather on the issue, however, because at the end of the day it changed nothing. He jotted a reminder to write out a reply when he returned to Gryffindor tower that evening and turned back to his breakfast.

He chewed carefully while he thought over the rest of the letter. Relieved though he was that his godfather was not angry with him, he found himself focused more on how he'd regarded the Hogwarts staff. _Most capable and trustworthy witches and wizards of our time_. It was curious, mostly because the school and the Ministry had famously been entangled in a cold war of sorts that predated even the wizarding war. Rooted in a sour relationship between each establishment's respective head, it was fairly common for Ministry officials to voice distrust over the faculty. Though Rodrigue had never expressed his own opinions of the matter to the boys, Dimitri had always just assumed he shared the rest of his workplace's opinion. The fact that he did not was curious, indeed.

Dimitri rose with the rest of the hall when the warning bell for first period rang. They had charms first, and he found himself nervously eyeing the platform he and Edelgard had leapt upon the night before as he stepped off the stairs. While the Charms classroom was on the third floor, it was split into two different sections with separate entrances to each from the stairs. He thought of what he knew to be hiding just down the hall and shuddered. There was a small group of students already gathered outside the classroom door when they arrived, the dark green lining of their hoods noting them all as Slytherins. They usually were first to arrive to the classes they shared with the Gryffindors, Dimitri mused. He supposed it made sense for ambitious sorts to be punctual. A few of them looked at him with a sort of wicked glee as he neared, and Dimitri instantly grew wary.

“Watch out, everyone!” Malfoy threw his arms dramatically over his present classmates, who cackled poisonously at the display. “The mad boar of Gryffindor is coming!” Dimitri scowled at them, but refrained from giving him the satisfaction of a defense.

“You don't have any idea what you're talking about,” Mercedes scolded in his wake. Malfoy's face darkened a bit, then, his expression twisting into something ugly. Dimitri stiffened.

“Don't you dare address me, you filthy mudblood,” he spat. Ingrid and Dimitri were on him in an instant.

“You overstuffed ponce!” She hollered as she tried to take hold of his robes. He stumbled back from the two of them, panicked. His brutish friend from the train had not been deemed quite sharp enough for the cunning house of the snake, and his absence made him a lot easier to get to. Dimitri felt his own face twisting, sickened by his cowardice after he had picked a fight and slung such a reprehensible word at his friend. He darted around Ingrid and landed a heavy punch on Malfoy's shoulder, barely catching himself from aiming for his head. The other Slytherins then jumped in, quickly followed by the yelling Ferdinand and Caspar. Someone tried to sneakily raise their wand, but they were caught by Annette's sharp gaze.

“Don't even!” She snapped, brandishing her own, and they were quick to lower it again. Annette's tendency toward accidental explosions was well known among the rest of their year.

“What on Earth is going on here?” An adult voice rose over the fuss. They jumped quickly away from each other, both sides trying to talk over each other in defense to the startled looking Professor Hanneman. Felix peered around from behind him to take in the scene, looking at Dimitri questioningly. Dimitri jerked his head in Malfoy's direction by way of explanation, and Felix scowled.

“A fight outside of a classroom? Come now, you haven't even been here for two months! And all first years, to boot. So young for such anger!” Professor Hanneman waved his arms impatiently as the defenses surged again. “I don't care to hear the accusations, I don't make it a habit to play referee. I did not see who started it, but I saw you all involved. Twenty points each from Slytherin and Gryffindor. Now let it go and get into the classroom before I dock more!” Silenced by the threat and galled under the weight of the sizable deduction, all of them hurried to follow him into the classroom. Felix climbed onto the bench next to Dimitri and fixed Malfoy with a poisonous scowl as he tread by.

“What did he do?” He quietly asked as everyone assembled what they needed from their bags.

“He called Mercedes a...you know what, for being muggleborn,” Dimitri told him. Felix flushed with anger and jerked to fix Malfoy with another heated glare. Sylvain, Edelgard, and Hubert all settled in to join them on the bench. Sylvain and Edelgard's faces matched Felix in indignation, and Dimitri could easily imagine the git's greasy hair bursting into flame under their angry gazes.

“It appears he wishes to make a reputation for himself that is every bit as slimy and insignificant as his father's,” Hubert mused at Edelgard's side. The man he referenced was Lucius Malfoy, briefly a respected Ministry Official and ranking member of the Hogwarts board of Governors. He had been disgraced from both over connections to the Death Eaters in the wizarding war, when the alibi and names he provided had given him only just enough to escape a life sentence in Azkaban. He had since invested his family's wealth in business, much like Mr. Black, and was still unfortunately quite wealthy. Nobody Dimitri knew had ever spoken well of the Malfoy family who, emboldened by having nothing more to lose politically, led the social charge against all things muggle related.

He struggled to focus on the lesson as it began, bothered by what Malfoy had said. A mad boar, he'd called him. A sickly feeling twisted in Dimitri's gut, unease and worry and a bit of shame making him nauseous while he listened to Hanneman explain the details of the levitation charm. He couldn't help but worry that Malfoy had somehow come to find out what had happened to Dimitri the week before, and while his mind flit instantly to the boys of his dorm he ruled it out immediately. Beyond none of them being amiable with the Slytherin boy, they also wouldn't have had the time to let the cat out of the bag. Every one of them had been present at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, all within earshot of Dimitri. So what did Malfoy know? And how?

The first answer came rather quickly, though it did nothing to reassure him. Malfoy came upon him in the halls on their way to their next class, carefully waiting until Dimitri's friends had stretched ahead of his own leisurely pace. “Tell me, scarhead. What did the voices want you to do?” he hissed over his shoulder. The name was something Dimitri hadn't been called in quite a few years, as he kept the offending mark perpetually hidden under carefully grown out bangs. More than that, however, Malfoy's knowledge of his voices set a high pitched ringing off in his ears. He rounded on him, and knew in an instant how furious he looked by Malfoy's recoil. Why the idiot continued to pick fights he could not handle, Dimitri didn't know.

“Funny thing about being a mad boar,” Dimitri said, taking one stalking step forward, “is how little trouble I might get in were I to snap and teach you how to keep your stupid mouth shut.” The words surprised even Dimitri, but he held fast to them. He swore to himself then and there that he would never allow his illness to be used in such a way, as an excuse for purposeful violence. But Malfoy didn't need to know that.

“You don't know when to quit, do you,” Felix's voice came from beside him, and Dimitri relaxed the fist he'd been clenching at his side. Malfoy scowled at him, tsk'ing irritably before he retreated to the main body of the group, outnumbered. Uninterested in losing more points for his house, Felix let him go and turned instead back to Dimitri. He looked him over, his expression asking if he was okay.

“He knew about the voices,” Dimitri explained. Felix was instantly livid, and though he certainly did not garner any joy out of upsetting his best friend, it was always weirdly comforting to see him get so worked up on his behalf.

“How?! Who have you told?”

“Nobody that would have said anything!” Dimitri did not appreciate the accusing turn. Felix looked exasperated.

“You place too much faith in people, Dimitri. Even when they mean no harm, people run their mouths about anything more interesting than their own stupid lives.” He did not waver under Dimitri's disapproving stare. He never did.

“It's more than faith, Felix. None of them had time to! I've been with them all since I told them.” Their paths were set to diverge at the stairs. They lingered a moment, both unfinished yet neither knowing quite what to say. Felix sighed after a moment and dragged his hand through the ends of his hair. It was getting a little long.

“I'll see if I can find out how Malfoy knows. People like me better. Sylvain too, and he scares the git half to death.” He gave Dimitri's hand a light squeeze.

“Thank you, Felix.” They parted then, with Dimitri having been given another reason to find peace with his friends being in Slytherin house. Perhaps the house was set to take a new turn, he thought, given its new and more noble members. One could certainly hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my least favorite things was how Rowling made the houses each be about something, but then seemed to put every unsavory person prone to dark magic in Slytherin. So Goyle, who is not cunning, shrewd, or ambitious, does not get to go there because I said so >.>
> 
> I hope the slower pace of this chapter wasn't too boring ^-^ I've actually been sitting on it for a little more than a day, because I planned on extending it through Halloween, but it was getting too lengthy. Chapters are definitely going to get longer as the series progresses, I think. I'd rather give you guys longer chapters than 50 chapter installments, you know? Anyways, I'm off to play some more Pokemon Sword. If you're playing it, feel free to add me! Switch code is SW-6786-5776-2870
> 
> Thank you for reading and much love, as always <3


	9. Chapter Nine: Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween has arrived at Hogwarts, and with it come new mysteries waiting to be examined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It finally feels like I'm finding my footing! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, which came out a bit longer than the others but is holding at a pace that I hope to continue with the series. Let me know what you think!

The Halloween spirit swept over Hogwarts castle in a wave. Enchanted skeletons entertained students as they walked the halls, dancing and miming and chasing after those who enjoyed a good fright. The torches were replaced with countless carved pumpkins, crafted by students in Herbology as a special treat. It had become a game for them all to try and locate their own creation amid the flickering clusters, a near impossible feat stretched across the expanse of the massive school.

To Dimitri's immense relief, hot new topics of conversation were beginning to strike among the students. That night's Halloween feast was storied in its greatness, as were the following evening parties held in each house. The various sports seasons were also approaching, and Glenn had spoken of little other than the coming tryouts for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Dimitri did not think that he would have an overly difficult time making the cut, as not only had he already played for the team for two years, but his girlfriend and fellow prefect, Byleth, was this year's new captain of the team.

Caspar was deep in debate with Ashe and Ferdinand over potential candidates for that year's team, and Dimitri listened distractedly as they all made their way to that afternoon's Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Matilda, having grown more adventurous, had followed the boys from their room. She darted happily between the ridges and slopes of the decorative ceiling, playfully attacking the enchanted decorations sharing the high space with her. Dimitri smiled as he watched, glad for the rare opportunity to see her at play. “What do you think, Dimitri?” Ferdinand's voice got his attention, and he turned regretfully away.

“Sorry, I was distracted,” he said.

“Caspar thinks that your elder brother would only make the cut on the team if the captain played favorites with him,” Ferdinand told him. Caspar flushed an angry shade of red and waved his hands to try and get Ferdinand to stop.

“I didn't say it like that!” He argued, roughly nudging his companion. “I was just saying there's a lot of really good chasers on our team, and some of them might miss their shot because of how close Glenn and Byleth are. That's all!”

“That's...pretty much the same thing, Caspar,” Ashe chuckled.

“Well _I_ think he's the second best chaser our house has. After Byleth, of course.” Ferdinand sounded a little haughty even when he was complimenting someone. Dimitri wondered if he would ever grow out of such a tiresome trait.

“Byleth is _incredible_ on the field,” Ashe gushed. Dimitri almost expected to see stars reflected in his wide eyes. He wouldn't blame him. Family was allowed to attend both the semi-final and final matches of the school's Quidditch Cup, and Dimitri had been entirely awestruck by Byleth's spectacular performance the year before. She had scored over twelve goals on her own, and had sunken at least half a dozen more through her flawless teamwork with Glenn. Together they'd scored more than the Slytherin seeker could ever hope to make up for by catching the snitch. It had surprised no one to see the captain's badge on her uniform upon their arrival that year.

“I think Byleth is going to make the right choices for the team,” Dimitri finally said in answer to Ferdinand's question. “I definitely think Glenn is included in that, and it's very unfortunate that their relationship makes people assume his placement is from anything other than his own skill.” Caspar shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes and muttered an apology, but Dimitri let him off with an easy smile. He knew the boisterous boy never meant any harm.

Caspar looked almost guilty when they filed into Professor Eisner's classroom, and he ducked his head at the man's greeting. Ferdinand laughed, and Caspar roughly jabbed him again before he could make a careless remark about their earlier conversation. Ashe joined them on their bench, and Dimitri joined Neville in the row behind. “How did you fare with the homework?” Neville nervously asked him as they all bent to gather their things. They had been assigned their first essay of the year for this class, and it was perhaps only the third any of them had written at all.

Dimitri gave Neville an embarrassed look and showed him the length of his scroll. Though he had practiced rather neat handwriting, he had a terrible habit of smudging the script with his arm, or getting blots of ink in the margin. “This was my third write through,” he sighed. “I wouldn't have had time for my other classwork if I had done it a fourth. I hope he accepts it.” It did not bother Dimitri to share his own short comings to help with his friend's confidence, and he smiled when he noticed Neville relax.

“Geez, kid, what did you do, fall asleep on the thing?” Professor Eisner marveled when he took Dimitri's scroll.

“Quill writing is just a bit too delicate for me, sir,” Dimitri apologized, looking sheepish. “The fresh ink and the delicate line of the feather – I'm not used to it. We used pens, at home.”

“Well next time use a pen for your assignment, alright? I don't care what it's written in, just don't give me a mess.” Dimitri nodded and the Professor frowned, glancing at the empty seat beside him and scanning around the rest of the room. “Have any of you seen Claude?”

On cue the door swung open, and a gasping Claude came rushing inside. “Sorry, Professor!” He gasped, flourishing a length of parchment as he hurried over to the empty seat. “Got caught up in a book!”

“Caught up finishing his paper last minute, more like,” Dimitri heard Hermione mumble from elsewhere in the room. The two of them had a very intense and rather one sided rivalry going on. Professor Eisner gave Claude a stern look as he settled in and took the parchment, carefully running his fingers over the bottom paragraphs in search of signs of fresh ink.

“Five points from Ravenclaw for the tardiness,” he told him, and the Ravenclaws all groaned. Claude slumped in his seat as he walked away and though he had gotten a bit of trouble for it, he looked relieved. Dimitri looked at him curiously, though he didn't know if he dared ask what the boy had been up to. Finishing his homework last minute would certainly be a surprising answer.

“Rough on the points, Claude,” Ashe sympathized while the Professor finished collecting everyone's work. Claude shrugged.

“We get plenty of points for answering questions in all of our classes,” he dismissed with a flap of his hand.

Their lesson turned out to be quite fun that day, even for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Each bench was given an enchanted box that contained miniature dungeon layouts, filled with dark spots and traps. They were tasked with leading small figures that represented themselves from one end of the box to the other, and selecting the appropriate response to each obstacle that may come upon them. A great bag of sweets was flashed as the reward for whichever group completed their task first. Claude, Dimitri, and Neville set upon their box eagerly, each of their eyes flashing looks of want to the candy jackpot on Professor Eisner's desk.

“This kind of makes me think of Questing,” Neville said as they began. His fellows perked up at mention of the sport, and only Neville's quick reaction spared them from the first trap.

“That's right, I've been looking forward to that!” Claude looked up at his partners eagerly. “America hasn't really caught on to the trend. When does the season start?” Though Dimitri had pinned Claude's accent earlier, he was surprised to hear him bring America up. The States had their own school of wizardry, thus Claude's presence at Hogwarts had always made Dimitri think that his parents had immigrated here in his youth. His statement implied a different circumstance, and he found himself wanting to know.

“House tryouts start in December, and the season goes all year,” Neville replied. Dimitri's thoughts turned back to the sport, and he felt himself growing excited. Unlike Quidditch, which tended to only be inclusive of the later years, Questing was open to all grades. Each house team was allowed as many recruits as they wished, and younger students were always encouraged to get involved early, that they may be experienced when they reached their later years.

Founded by Hogwarts alumni only thirty years previously, Questing was an exciting sport that revolved around strong, cohesive teams and clever problem solving via the utilization of enchanted weapons. It was a marvel of magical advancement, and the proud product of their school. Each team was comprised of a number of people specialized in specific areas of use, such as the heavily defensive Rook, the ever coveted Medic, or the lethally skilled Warlock. There were a great many potential roles to fill, all unlocked for competitive use via special tournaments to acquire class certifications.

In practice, Questing involved taking these teams and pitting them against each other in pursuit of conquering a dungeon, or game, as it was called. The nature of each game was unique, some relying more heavily on wit and agility in the solving of large scale puzzles where others called for a physically powerful team that could stand against their opponents in defense of things like strongholds. The strongest teams were made up of those who had successfully won the most powerful roles in their certification tournaments. The entire thing had always seemed very exciting to Dimitri, who enjoyed both the critical thinking and physical exertion aspects that it held.

“Are you going to try out for the Questing team this year?” He asked Neville. Taken aback by his question, Neville stumbled in his careful maneuvering of his little avatar, sending him hurtling into a burning wall. It squealed and thrashed in a comically inaccurate display, before blinking back to the beginning of the puzzle. Neville hung his head.

“Definitely not,” he mumbled, gesturing at the little scene as if nothing more needed to be said. “I just really like to watch it, is all.”

“You know, Neville, I think you gotta try and remember that you were put in Gryffindor for a reason. Try to have a little more faith in yourself!” Claude just about took the words right out of Dimitri's mouth. They exchanged a small smile when Neville blushed lightly, looking pleased.

“I hear a whole lot of talking from you three, but don't see a lot of progress,” Professor Eisner said as he passed by. He peered over, tsk'ing at the sight of Neville's singed character. “Come now, you should know better than to play with fire,” he laughed. Neville flushed again and leaned forward to devote his attention to the task once more.

Somehow, they managed to turn their situation around entirely. Finishing first through an impressive combination of Claude's creative solutions and Dimitri and Neville's daring, the three of them eagerly split the full sack of candy deposited on their desk at the end of class. Ingrid and Hermione scowled at them while they exclaimed over their prize, joined by the equally frustrated trio of boys in front of them. “How did you come out of dead last to win?” Ferdinand grumbled as he jealously watched them examine their chocolate.

Claude shrugged and smirked at him. “Pure talent, my friend!” He tossed a bar over, instantly mollifying the petulant boy. “Always happy to share, though. After all, I heard you guys were doing great, too.” Dimitri passed over some of his share, as well, quickly joined by Neville. Soon the entire class had at least one piece of their prize, much to the amusement of Professor Eisner.

“You guys really are something, huh? Take ten points each for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw for being great kids.” He looked up as the bell rang and pointed at Claude in mock warning. “And you, make sure you get to your next class on time.” The room was filled with the sound of scraping chairs as they all hurried to collect their things and leave. Dimitri nodded to the many thank you's and goodbyes from the departing Ravenclaws. Were it not for Felix and Sylvain, they would probably be his favorite house to share classes with. Always reasonable and fun to compete with in class.

Hermione was still scowling at him when he hurried to catch up with the rest of them. Though Ingrid had forgiven his transgression of beating her the moment he'd passed her a caramel cauldron, her partner clearly disagreed. “I just don't understand how you could have accomplished it without cheating,” she said for the third time when Dimitri gave her a questioning frown. He sighed.

“Dimitri wouldn't cheat,” Annette defended him before he had a chance to. “They thought outside the box, just like Professor Eisner was telling us to do.” Hermione sniffed, disbelieving.

History of Magic proved to be a full on drag compared to their previous class. Unlike his colleagues, Professor Cichol seemed to find no reason to bring more attention to the holiday than there already was. Though, Dimitri noted, someone seemed to have slipped into his classroom over the last week to string up some lovely decorations. He grinned as he thought of Flayn, determined to spread cheer when she'd heard her father was showing none, and could imagine how cowed the man would have been against any objections. He had visited her often while Dimitri had been under her care, and while he certainly had come off as rather over bearing, his devoted love for his daughter was unmistakable.

“If Mr. Blaiddyd manages to return his thoughts to this realm, perhaps he can earn those points back to Gryffindor by finally answering my question,” Professor Cichol said. Ingrid and Hermione gave him a rough nudge to both of his sides, and he jolted, blinking owlishly around the room. Utterly consumed by his thoughts again, he realized. It was happening more often than usual. Perhaps a side effect of his medicine? He shook off the new train of the thought, fighting to stay present.

“My apologies, Professor. What was your question?” The class snickered, and the Professor silenced them quickly with a raise of his hand.

“Name two critical events that led to the passing of the Goblin Equality Act,” he repeated. This had been in their assigned reading, Dimitri knew. He hadn't been able to focus on it at all, lost in this new airy cloud of his that dragged him along each train of thought that flickered over his mind. He'd given up on his third try, desperate for sleep and hoping they would cover what he had not retained in class. Professor Cichol looked at him sternly, now, and he felt the amusement of his classmates watching him squirm under the gaze.

“Well, that would be, uh -” he broke off, blinking. Dimitri actually knew this answer, separate of his reading. Rodrigue had been part of the committee that had fought to pass these bills. “First there was the attack on Grelley, one of their small communities. Then they received vocal support from the Headmistress, who pressed the ministry to revise what she called an archaic stance on their matters.” Dimitri banged his fist on his desk in triumph and startled back a bit when it responded with a distressed _crack_. He flushed, and the class broke into laughter.

“An excellent answer, Mr. Blaiddyd,” Professor Cichol said, blinking at the damage his student had done with such a simple gesture. “Perhaps next time you can deliver it without abusing my furniture?” Dimitri hung his head and nodded, beyond embarrassed.

Unsurprisingly, his housemates were on him at once with questions when they departed for their common room. “What the heck was that, Dimitri?” Caspar laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. “Mental illness give you the strength of a troll or something?” Ingrid glowered at Caspar for the insensitive question and hauled him roughly away.

“You're an idiot,” she seethed.

“Hey, I was just joking!” Caspar defended, jerking his arm out of her grip. Ashe and Ferdinand just shook their heads, embarrassed for him. His thoughtless words had surprising benefit, however, as nobody else had the nerve to continue the line of questioning after. Dimitri was grateful for the turn. His odd strength was just another notch on the list of things that made him feel near subhuman, detached from those that walked around him. Rodrigue had sought answers for it when he was young, to no avail.

Dimitri ducked into a quiet corner when they reached the common room, quietly excusing himself to do his homework. Hermione followed him, sliding into the chair across his small table and leveling the others with a stare that dared them to approach and disturb their studies. Dimitri thanked her quietly, and she nodded. “Sorry about earlier. I get quite competitive, is all,” she told him.

“I do, as well,” he assured her. They set to their work in peace. Hermione's sharp senses seemed to detect when his attentions wavered, and a sharp tap of her pen on the table beside him would have him back to Earth in no time. It grew harder to stay on task as the afternoon progressed into the evening and the prefects spread through the common room, working together to string up decorations for the coming party. Byleth stood guard at the bottom of a ladder Glenn was using, her arms full of different things to pass him up. Every once in a while she would let out a startled gasp, or subtly nudge the foot of the ladder, making Glenn flail and look around in surprise only to meet her tiny smirk as she ducked it behind her burden.

“Dimitri,” Hermione said, and he turned sheepishly back to her. “I'm surprised to find you so easily distracted!”

“I always have been, really,” he shrugged. “It's just gotten a bit worse as of late.”

“Well, there's nothing to be done of it now. Dinner will be starting soon, you might as well wait until the weekend at this point.” She began to collect her own papers, and Dimitri turned to the grand clock with surprise. Sure enough, they had about twenty minutes until the feast began. Dimitri tucked his book bag under the chair to retrieve later and rose to join the others on their way out of the portrait hole.

Grand was not sufficient to describe the Hogwarts Halloween feast. Dimitri found himself utterly blown away by the artful and towering displays of treats and the spread of food, mouth watering on a normal day, amped to a level of delicacy that even he had not experienced in his rather privileged life. The students laughed and chattered happily while they dug into the elaborate meal, and the contagious joy in the air warmed him as he ate. Claude slipped into the seat beside him a while into the meal, laughing at Dimitri's wide eyed face stuffed comically full of candied stuffing.

“Great look for you,” he chuckled. “Super refined.” Dimitri scoffed and swallowed with great effort.

“You have the worst timing,” he griped, petulant over his new friend's uncanny ability to find him in the most embarrassing of situations. Claude raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, really? I happen to think my timing is spectacular. Life saving, even,” he teased. Dimitri was instantly mollified, and Claude laughed again. “Man, you're _way_ too easy. I'll have to help you with that.”

“Did you want something?” Dimitri asked. Claude perked up and pulled his book bag onto his lap, eagerly digging in it.

“Yeah, didn't know if I'd get a chance to talk to you before the weekend, what with you being Mr. Popular and all. I wanted to ask you some stuff, to help me with this theory I'm working on.” Dimitri watched him warily.

He chose to ignore the very incorrect statement of his popularity and asked instead, “What kind of theory would that be?”

Claude's answering grin did nothing to reassure him. “I wanted to know if you had any idea your goddad was holding something at your house for the school.” Dimitri stared. Claude looked triumphant, his eyes flashing.

“I don't know what it was,” Dimitri told him before he could ask. He glanced nervously around for anyone who might be listening in on their conversation. He had a strong feeling that this subject was not meant for public knowledge. Rather, he knew for a fact that even he was not supposed to know of it.

“Okay, but you knew it was there, right?” He nodded to the question, and Claude leaned in, his face eager. “Why would they bring it to _your _house, specifically? Why not somewhere like Gringotts, you think?”

Dimitri carefully thought over his answer, unsure exactly how much he should be saying. But he could trust Claude, he was certain. “Well, our house is built over a very heavily enchanted set of catacombs,” he began. Claude banged a triumphant fist on the dinner table, much as Dimitri had done earlier that day. The reaction was curious, though. The labyrinth beneath the Fraldarius estate was not a secret, even if it may not have been well known. It was certainly something the clever boy could have discovered on his own.

“I thought it may have been one of those crazy rumors people start over old families,” Claude said as if he'd read his mind. It was unnerving, as it was not the first time Dimitri had wondered if he was capable of that very thing.

“Why did you want to know, anyway?”

“I'm trying to figure out what that thing they're hiding is, since it's here now and everything.” Dimitri stopped before he could ask how Claude knew such a thing, as the answer came to him almost at once. The paper had reported seeing Hogwarts officers leaving the Fraldarius estate the morning the attempted robbery had been reported, and shortly after the students had received warning to avoid the deserted half of the third floor and, by extension, the cerberus that mysteriously sat hiding there.

Dimitri looked around the table to confirm that the two of them hadn't drawn any attention and, satisfied, tugged at Claude's arm and jerked his head to the door. Claude took the hint and followed him at once, waving happily to the curious eyes that followed their early departure from the scrumptious feast. Dimitri frowned at Claude when the door closed behind them and threw them into darkness. “I was trying not to draw attention to our leaving,” he complained.

“Which is why you act casual. Two of us leaving the best feast of the year without so much as a glance back? Totally suspicious! Seriously, man, I have so much to teach you.” He shook his head as if he simply could not comprehend Dimitri's incompetence in the arts of sneaking. Dimitri bristled, but did not argue as he hurried to keep stride with Claude.

“Do you have any leads so far?” He asked him the moment they were clear of the halls. They had selected one of the small study rooms, normally fully claimed by the fifth and sixth year students entrenched in their mountains of work. The feast had left it empty, and together they fell happily into the perfectly stuffed arm chairs by the windows.

“That's what you're for, to get me started.” Dimitri half expected Claude to pull out some sort of notebook and begin scribbling down things that he said. He laughed at the thought, and his friend gave him a curious look.

“Nothing,” he apologized, “I was just thinking about how much you reminded me of a reporter.” Claude rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Never,” he stated with a firmness that took Dimitri by surprise. “But on to more important matters, yeah?”

“I probably don't have much that's going to be of any use,” Dimitri warned him. Claude shrugged.

“Everything is useful, if you know how to use it. Alright, so did you see it?” Dimitri shook his head, and Claude winced. “Shoot. Okay, but do you have a hint at the size, maybe? Like, do you know if he had it on his person, or if it had been dragged into another room?”

“I'm sorry,” Dimitri suddenly felt very guilty for pulling Claude away from dinner. The more Claude asked, the more he realized he didn't know anything remotely helpful.

“Don't be sorry, Dimitri!” He paused for a moment and slumped back in his chair, eyes wandering to the window. He looked thoughtful, and seemed to be chewing on the inside of his cheek while he reflected. It struck Dimitri then how very mature the normally playful boy looked in that moment. As though he were not the mischievous first year already earning himself a reputation for tricks to rival the Weasley twins.

“It wasn't the Officers that brought it, whatever it was,” Dimitri finally said. “It was Professor Cichol. And Rodrigue told him that he would guard it with his life. I remember we thought that was really strange...” he trailed off, watching as Claude turned this tiny bit of information over in his mind.

“So it sounds like what we really need to do is dig some information out of Rodrigue,” he finally said. Dimitri's eyes widened. He hoped Claude didn't expect him to do such a thing – he didn't know if he could bring himself to disrespect the man who'd raised him by hounding him over something he was not even supposed to know. His god brothers, on the other hand...

“I'll see what I can do,” Dimitri finally said. He shifted a bit, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the sudden air of plotting. He definitely wasn't in the habit of such things.

“Good! Alright, well if it's all the same to you, I want to hurry up and get to my house party before everyone gets there and takes all the good candy. Later!” He sprung up from the arm chair with an energy that stood in startling contrast to his contemplative mood thus far. Dimitri watched with amusement as he bounded away and, a long minute later, followed him.

He could hear the echoes of other students filing out of dinner as he made his way to Gryffindor tower. “I'm going to be sitting here wide open for an hour, aren't I?” The Fat Lady griped as he approached her. He gave her a sympathetic smile. She huffed, hands on her hips, and gave him an impatient look as she awaited the password.

“Horseman,” Dimitri said, and she swung open without another word. He ducked through quickly, and nearly stumbled right back out again at the sight that greeted him on the other side. Glenn and Byleth were already there, or perhaps they had never left in the first place. They sat on the sofa in front of the fire, tightly tangled together with their faces mashed against one another. Dimitri flushed crimson and threw his hands up over his face. The motion caught their attention, and Glenn laughed while Byleth leaned her soft smile into his cheek.

“Time's up already, huh? Damn.” The two of them separated with visible regret. “Come on, Dimitri, it's not like we were indecent,” Glenn teased.

“You most certainly were!” He squeaked back, face darkening still at the undignified sound. Byleth laughed, though not unkindly as she straightened her uniform.

“Thank you for the warning, Dimitri,” she told him. Her voice was soft as ever, and he ducked his head, hoping his flaming cheeks were not misinterpreted. Seeking something to busy himself with, he fled to a cluster of chairs around a low table and collected a small handful of candy from the bowl in the center. He took his time to carefully peel the wrappers away as sound gradually filled the room and the rest of Gryffindor house joined them. He faintly heard a few of the other fifth year girls asking Byleth where she'd been, but any response she might have been given him was drowned out by loud music coming to life around the room. He finally turned all of his attention away from the pair only when his friends spotted him.

“Trying to get all the best candy for yourself, huh?” Caspar said as he bounded over. He threw himself into a chair beside Dimitri and immediately plunged his hand into the bowl, digging out a large fistful for himself. The rest of their first year class joined them, some dragging over chairs to add to the cluster until there was room for them all.

“None of you are going to get any sleep tonight if you keep eating all of those sweets,” Hermione looked disapprovingly at Caspar in particular, whom had happily selected things he didn't need to waste time unwrapping and was currently piling heavily into his mouth.

“Come off it, will ya?” He bit back at her around his bulging cheeks. “Nobody likes a know it all, Hermione.” She flushed angrily and stood up quickly, hurrying away from the group.

“Caspar!” Several of them spoke up, indignant, and he recoiled at once. Shame and realization fell over his face.

“Aw, Hermione, I didn't mean it like that!” He called after her. He got up to follow her, leaving the rest of them in a slightly uncomfortable silence.

“At least he knows enough to apologize, I guess,” Ashe finally said with a sigh. It popped the uncomfortable bubble that had encased them all, and conversation began to flow normally. Heeding Hermione's warning, Dimitri returned some of the candy he had collected from the bowl and instead settled back to simply enjoy spending time with them all. Matilda flit into the room behind a group of late arrivals and spotted Dimitri immediately, making happy little sounds as she barreled into his chest. He laughed and cupped her in his hands, greeting her warmly as he stroked over her back.

People began to trickle away to the dormitories as the hour grew later, and soon Dimitri could hardly get a sentence out without cutting off into a long yawn. Ashe shifted in his seat and looked around, seeming worried as Annette and Mercedes rose and said their goodnights. “What's the matter, Ashe?” Ferdinand asked when he noticed his behavior.

“Caspar and Hermione haven't come back yet,” he said. They all paused, each turning to scan the room. He was right; unless the two of them had gone straight to their rooms on their return, they'd been gone since the beginning of the party. Caspar, at least, was definitely not the type to retire early.

“What should we do?” Dimitri wondered out loud.

“We should get Professor Mcgonagall,” Neville said at once.

“We can't do that,” Ferdinand said before anyone could agree. “They'll get in trouble for being out past curfew, and we'll lose house points! Plus, they'll get detention, and won't get to come watch Quidditch tryouts this weekend.”

“Caspar might just deserve that, after being so careless,” Ingrid said, though Dimitri could hear the reluctance in her voice. Whether she was upset with Caspar or not, she and Hermione were quickly becoming close friends, and she stood to get in trouble as well. There was little other argument, and soon Ingrid, Dimitri, and Ferdinand were all making their way to the door. Ashe and Neville were tasked with distracting the only remaining prefects in the common room, and the group hurried through the portrait hole when the coast was clear.

The halls of Hogwarts were eerie at night, as though they held some enchantment that pressed the knowledge into your chest that you were not supposed to be there. They moved carefully, keeping close to the walls. Ingrid was the first to dare speaking, whispering “Where do you guys think they went?”

“Bathroom, probably,” Ferdinand whispered back. It sounded good enough to them all, even better taking into consideration that they were fully allowed passage between the common room and the seventh floor lavatories at any hour. But the rooms were silent, absent of any occupants when they checked. Nerves squirmed in the pit of Dimitri's stomach again. Not over getting caught – though he did not want to, his pressing worry dwelled over the whereabouts of his friends. Something didn't feel right.

“I don't like this,” Ingrid voiced his own concern, and both Dimitri and Ferdinand nodded their agreement. “Where else could they be?” They couldn't exactly search the whole school, it didn't even need to be said. It was quite the dilemma: worried about their friends, too loyal to risk their punishment by asking for help. In the end they decided to just check through the bathrooms going down the floors, wondering if perhaps Hermione had simply sought to avoid being interrupted by other Gryffindor girls. They were all tense as they made their way to the staircase and they descended it warily, eyes peeled for any prefects who'd had the reserve to leave their parties and attend their patrols.

They were not on the sixth floor, or the fifth. The trio grew more nervous with every level they descended, and their resolve to not involve a teacher steadily shrank. Hogwarts was a massive school, and their own chances of getting caught grew ever more with every bit of distance they put between themselves and Gryffindor tower. Just when they were about to give up and turn around, they finally found Caspar. Ingrid slumped in visible relief when she caught sight of him from the fourth floor landing, just down the hall outside the door of the girl's lavatory. She hurried over, face set with determination, Ferdinand right on her heels.

Dimitri did not follow, distracted instead by movement on the stairs below them. He peered over instinctively, and his brow furrowed. A flash of greasy white blond hair just below him, slipping quickly around the corner of the entry to the third floor corridor. Malfoy? He thought. He was still for a moment before his senses fully caught up to him. They were on the fourth floor, and that would mean that platform was...

Dimitri's eyes widened, all thoughts of Caspar and Hermione gone as his mind filled instead with images of the massive and deadly creature awaiting the wandering Slytherin boy. He dashed down the stairs, running as fast as his legs could carry him and jittering impatiently when he had to wait for a section to slide over and retrieve him. In a fit of déjà vu, he remembered the daring jump he and Edelgard had made to bridge the gap and catch up with Claude. He eyed the platform and his knees locked in defiance. It would seem he could not muster the same fearless action that evening.

The stair seemed to take an eternity, and he leapt onto it before it had fully snapped into place. He took them two at a time and nearly tripped over his robes in his rush. The tightness in his chest released a bit when he rounded the corner of the third floor and caught sight of Malfoy, moving at a slow and loping pace toward the end of the hall. There was something instinctively wrong about the way he was moving and, concerned, Dimitri drove himself faster. He nearly barreled Malfoy over when he finally caught up to him, catching him roughly around the arm and spinning him around. “What are you _doing_?!” Dimitri demanded at last, panting hard.

Malfoy hardly reacted at all. It took a long moment for his gaze to so much as shift to Dimitri's face, his grey eyes dull and as vacant of expression as the rest of him. He stared, his shoulders slumped and arms lax at his sides. “Malfoy?” Dimitri asked.

“Dimitri!” A sharp hiss filtered down the hall and he jumped, spinning around. Ferdinand's head was leaned around the corner, face twisted with annoyance. “We need to get back, what are you doing with that fool?” Dimitri looked back and forth between them, unsure. He opened his mouth to explain to Ferdinand, but suddenly Malfoy was moving, jerking back from Dimitri's grip and huffing angrily. He looked startled, that much was obvious, but when he saw Dimitri he quickly scrambled to school his expression into indignant anger.

“Get your hands off me, scar head,” he growled. Dimitri let him go at once and moved back, hands up.

Too startled to even be bothered by the unpleasant nickname, Dimitri blurted, “Are you alright?” Malfoy's eyes widened a bit, and he stared at him. The boy had to know something very strange was going on, Dimitri was sure. He would bet his last galleon that Malfoy didn't even have the slightest idea where he was. Unfortunately, his pride was apparently curbed for nothing.

“Of course I'm not alright,” he spat, “I've been accosted by a madman in the middle of the night! My father will hear of this!” His familiar animosity slid some sense back into place in Dimitri's mind, and he rolled his eyes. Malfoy really was impossible.

“I was just trying to help you, Malfoy,” he hissed back. “Do you have any idea where you've wandered?” The Slytherin paused then, his narrowed eyes taking stock of their surroundings while Ferdinand caught up with them. He gave Dimitri an expectant look, gesturing back toward the corridor exit. Dimitri faltered, burning with curiosity. Malfoy was many things, and cowardly stood high on that list. Wandering alone in the middle of the night down a corridor that had been advertised as dangerous was far from something that fell within the reasonable scope of his actions. But it was obvious that there was no progress to be had with him as he had turned back to Dimitri with a look of haughty defiance.

Dimitri sighed and shook his head and turned to leave with Ferdinand. “Keep this to yourself, and we will too,” Ferdinand told Malfoy. The boy sneered at them, but Dimitri caught his curt nod as they left. Dying to know what he would do when he thought nobody was watching, Dimitri tried to think of a place he could hide to observe him. The plan was quickly dashed, however, as they met up with the other three again on the fourth floor landing. Though Hermione's eyes were swollen and red from tears, she looked worried for them.

“Where did you go?” Ingrid whispered on their way back up.

“I saw Malfoy going down the back corridor of the third floor,” Dimitri explained. They all looked at him in surprise, and Dimitri watched as a very Claude-like expression fell over Hermione's face. Together they mused over what he could have been up to, but as none of them knew what Dimitri did about what exactly had been waiting for their classmate at the end of the hall, they didn't say much he hadn't considered already. They made it back to the common room without issue and parted ways for bed with relief. Neville and Ashe were on them in an instant when they returned, demanding to know what had happened. Dimitri let Ferdinand and Caspar fill them in as he got himself ready for bed, suddenly exhausted.

Curiosity plagued him well into the night, until sleep could be ignored no longer and pulled his mind elsewhere. His last coherent thought was that, above all else, he needed to talk to Claude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first mention of Questing! Tell me what you guys think! I have the next chapter just about written up, and a lot of it involves this fun new sport that will bring us some strong FE3H elements and new places for me to weave the plot through to keep you guessing as we go on. Quidditch is not going to be ignored in favor of this, I promise! Still, let me know what you think because if it doesn't sound good I don't want to drag it out.
> 
> Lots of Ferdinand and Caspar so far, huh? It's funny, because while I love Caspar, he and Ferdie are not my most favorite characters. But sorting everyone this way has given me the opportunity to bring more people into the story than just the main Blue Lion group, and I'm trying really hard to remain objective with them all and keep the focus on only who it makes sense to. I promise that everyone will get their own attention as the series goes on, though it will definitely be impossible to make main characters of them all without turning it into a senseless scramble. But just because someone is not overly present now, does not mean they will not come to be! Promise.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Sorry for the long notes, I'm a chatter box. Much love, as always <3


	10. Chapter Ten: Questing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sports season have arrived, and while Quidditch may still be a distant thing for our first year friends, the Hogwarts founded game of Questing is another story entirely. Bonds old and new are explored while the Hogwarts students get a chance to stretch their legs and let out some energy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today! If you are are reading this as it updates and don't remember a Halloween feast, you have gone too far!
> 
> I know I said literally a few hours ago that I wasn't going to post this chapter until I got your opinions on Questing, but...it was written, and I am impatient, and I am trying not to doubt myself so much. Also the wife gave me the seal of approval, so much thanks my beloved Atheardarastrix <3

Claude was as beside himself as Dimitri had imagined when he finally filled him on the events of Halloween night. They sat together on the high stands surrounding the crowded Quidditch pitch, huddled close for both privacy and protection from the biting wind. The first breaths of November warned of a bitterly cold winter, and it was taking its effect on students as they were forced to change their free time routines and attire. Dimitri watched the clustered Gryffindor team hopefuls press closer together in search of warmth on the field below, and noted Petra shaking particularly hard. She would not be able to bundle up much in the air, should she be accepted on the team. He felt bad for her.

A whistle sounded from the captain's stand below, and the Hufflepuff captain waved the last string of her team hopefuls to the ground. They'd been the first to have use of the field for auditions, as they had finished last in the house cup the year before. Claude rubbed his hands together and breathed warmth over his fingers while the Gryffindors took to the field in the Hufflepuff's stead. He glowered at Dimitri petulantly. “How can you look so comfortable over there?”

Though Dimitri could feel the cold radiating in the tip of his nose and the tops of his cheeks, the feeling was a familiar one. “It gets a lot colder in the Grove,” he told him, feeling a bit proud of his endurance. This thing, albeit small, was one of few that he felt he had over the impressively clever boy.

“Gets even colder in Ireland, but that doesn't seem to do me any good,” Claude huffed. Reminded of a question he'd had earlier, Dimitri tilted his head.

“Hey, I've been wondering. How long have you been in Ireland, anyway?” He hoped the question didn't come off as rude, and relaxeed a bit when Claude did not show offense.

“Just since last winter,” he said. He did not move to elaborate, and Dimitri frowned, wondering if he should press.

Unable to help himself, he asked, “Did your parents just prefer Hogwarts for your school?” Claude looked a little taken aback by the question, but laughed after a moment.

“Nah, man, they would've done anything to keep me going to Ilvermorny, if they could. They just don't get much say in the matter when they go and get themselves arrested for crimes in muggle relations.” He sounded casual, but Dimitri winced at the revelation all the same. He hadn't meant to dredge up something so personal and unpleasant.

“I'm sorry,” he began, but Claude cut him off.

“Don't be,” he told him firmly. “We don't really know much about each other, do we?” Dimitri shook his head, and Claude nodded. “Well we should change that. You're pretty cool to be around.” He smiled at him, and Dimitri found himself grinning back.

“You too,” he added lamely. Claude laughed, and the two of them turned to clap and cheer as Petra's name was called to join the auditions for keeper. She was one of only three first years brave enough to attempt the Quidditch try outs that year. She performed excellently, and the pair raised their voices to join in the cheers of their fellow first years when she landed again.

“I live with my grandparents now, if you were curious,” Claude said when their surroundings quieted again. Dimitri was honestly more intrigued about what sort of muggle relations crime Claude's parents had committed, but he knew better than to ask.

“Do you like it?” He asked instead. Claude shrugged.

“They're alright. Good people, if not a little old fashioned. They weren't even on speaking terms with my parents, though. I'd never even met them until they showed up at our house to drag me over the pond.” Still he sounded unbothered by any of it, though Dimitri felt that wasn't the case. Normally Claude faced the people he was speaking with, never shying away from eye contact. Today his gaze stayed trained on the field, and though it was technically what they were there to watch, Dimitri had a feeling that wasn't the reason why.

“That must have been hard,” he finally said, turning to watch the next string of Gryffindor hopefuls. The beaters were up next, and he watched with amusement as Fred and George raced each other to collect their bats from the ground. Beside him, he caught Claude shaking his head out of the corner of his eye.

“Not really. They mostly leave me alone, which is cool. No, the hard part was going from California to Ireland. Night and day, and not in a good way!” He turned to Dimitri again, this time with a smile on his face. “Have you ever been to the States?” Dimitri shook his head.

“No, but I'd really like to. Rodrigue has been saying for awhile that he wants to take a summer holiday there, but he's always so busy with work.” The crowd around them erupted in cheers and laughter as George landed a particularly spectacular shot on one of the bludgers, sending it ricocheting against the rails of the central hoop.

“Talk about rough, huh?” Claude said. “The Ministry sounds like it's a really demanding place to work. Rodrigue must be a real dedicated guy.”

“It's why I don't let it get to me. Even when he's not around, I know it's because he's working to help people.” The beaters retreated from the field below, and they watched as a line of Slytherins filed on to the field to await their turn. More students began to arrive in the stands, and Dimitri waved Felix and Sylvain over when he caught sight of them. Edelgard and Hubert followed behind them.

“Are you going to stay and watch the Slytherin try outs?” Edelgard asked while she settled.

“Yeah, so we can see the Ravenclaws after,” Claude told her. He watched Felix and Sylvain take their seats beside himself and Dimitri and shook his head in disbelief in their similarly lightly clad forms. “You guys are all secretly made of ice, aren't you?”

“What?” Sylvain laughed. “It's not even that cold, you big baby!”

“Speak for yourself! I can't even feel my face anymore,” Claude shuddered in emphasis, raising his mitten clad hands to rub roughly over his arms. Sylvain leaned over and wrapped an arm around him, tugging him tight to his side with a playful vow that he would keep him warm. Claude took it in stride and nuzzled into him.

“Geesh, you're like a furnace,” Claude said, burrowing against Sylvain's chest with more purpose.

“What can I say, I'm smoking hot,” Sylvain said happily. Felix rolled his eyes and scoffed. He nudged Dimitri lightly and they exchanged a gentle smile.

“How was your party?” Dimitri asked. Felix shrugged, seeming uninterested.

“Pretty boring until Edelgard lost her cool and set Parkinson's hair on fire,” he said, and Sylvain dissolved into a fit of laughter at the memory. Behind them, Edelgard spluttered and Hubert's face split into an unsettling smile.

“I did not _lose control_,” Edelgard defended hotly, her cheeks pink.

“Oh?” Felix inclined his head, amusement ghosting across his lips. “So what exactly do you call it, then? Because to me it looked like you angrily gestured while screaming at her, and her hair caught fire.” Edelgard crossed her arms.

“That would imply that I attacked her both non-verbally and wand free. Nonsense,” she sniffed.

“Given your heritage and incredible raw ability, Edelgard, I rather disagree that it would have been impossible,” Hubert told her.

“Plus, you were so embarrassed you took off after,” Sylvain added. His grin only broadened at the look Edelgard shot him, and she snappily requested a change of subject.

It didn't take long for one to come up. “Did you all hear the excellent news?” Hubert asked, that unsettling happiness returning to his face. “About Malfoy?” He pressed. His classmate's faces all lit up in understanding at that, Felix and Sylvain both smirking. Claude and Dimitri leaned forward, intrigued.

“He got detention for the whole weekend,” Felix told them smugly. “Professor Manuela caught him out way past curfew.” Claude turned to Dimitri, expression asking if he wanted to share what else the two of them knew about the situation.

Dimitri nodded, and Claude happily blurted, “he was sniffing around the forbidden corridor!”

“How do you know?” Edelgard asked, looking curiously between the two of them. She seemed a little annoyed, and Dimitri wondered if it bothered her that he had told Claude first. He felt a little guilty over it as Edelgard had, after all, been part of the group that had discovered the secret in the first place.

“I ran into him,” Dimitri explained. Then, at the group's questioning faces, he began to explain the events of the night before, carefully skirting around the exact reason Caspar and Hermione had taken off from the common room in the first place. He had a feeling neither of them would appreciate it spreading. The others looked thoughtful when he was finished, and it was Sylvain who broke the silence first.

“What the heck was that chicken shit prick doing in the 'deadly' corridor?” He scoffed.

“How tastefully put, Sylvain,” Edelgard muttered. Sylvain made a face and shrugged.

“You sound like my mother,” he told her. “You should fix that.” She blushed, and before the suddenly angry looking Hubert could turn the situation into a full argument, Claude cut in.

“Dimitri and I were wondering the same thing. What was he up to?” None of them seemed to have a good answer. They were relatively quiet as the Gryffindors trailed off of the field, jeering back at the Slytherins as they made their way to the locker rooms. Dimitri grew restless while the Slytherin team went about their audition and Claude, feeling much the same, eventually nudged him and gestured to the exit. Waiting to watch Ravenclaws paled in comparison to the thought of the warm castle, it seemed.

“I'm going to head in,” Dimitri told Felix as he got up. “Catch you tomorrow?” Felix nodded and absently waved goodbye, eyes still fixed on the field. He would be participating in as many sports as he was physically able, Dimitri knew. Watching the practice that day told him what to expect when he attempted it himself the next year.

Edelgard followed Claude and Dimitri, and Hubert was quick to follow her. “I told him everything,” she told them at their curious look. Hubert nodded.

“Cool, so we can tell you the rest of it,” Claude said. “Dimitri said he was acting all weird, spacey and unresponsive. Like he was under an Imperio.”

“I never said I knew it was an Imperio,” Dimitri hurriedly said. The spell was complicated, he knew, as well as one of only three that were famously Unspeakable in the wizarding world. Anybody with connections to either the Ministry or the Death Eaters knew only full well how much trouble the spell had caused in their community in the last decade, and thus were somewhat familiar with the symptoms. Still, the idea that it was being used on an eleven year old – a particularly useless one, even, with his own strong ties to the community of Dark witches and wizards – was more than a little hard to believe.

Edelgard seemed to share in Dimitri's hesitation at the idea, and she slowly shook her head. “It would take a really strong wizard to control him from somewhere Dimitri didn't see,” Edelgard pointed out.

“Would it, though?” Claude countered. “Wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as people say if the caster had to have their wand jabbed into your back, would it?” It was a fair point, and not one Dimitri had really stopped to consider. Still, though. Some things didn't add up.

“Malfoy's soft, though,” Hubert mused. “What is there to be gained, here? It's not as if he would present any use in getting past the beast. And even were someone trying to send him to his death, anyone with the ability to cast that spell would have to be a later year student, at least. A teacher, more like. I find it hard to believe any among them have taken _that_ great of an offense to the boy so as to try and murder him.” They contemplated this question in silence.

The answer hit Dimitri like a ton of bricks. “It wasn't specifically his death they were after,” he breathed. Beside him, Claude began to nod sharply, picking up on it at the same time. He finished Dimitri's thought as they looked to each other.

“It was what the school would have to do after he died. Get rid of the cerberus.”

With that afternoon's conversation, the curiosity over what exactly had been brought to hide in Hogwarts castle became an urgent need. It plagued Dimitri as the new school week began, and the more he thought over what it could be, the more another realization came to him: he needed to tell Professor Mcgonagall.

The thought galled him. He served to get a lot of people in trouble should he give her a full explanation, and he was sure that she would demand one of him. He would not be able to pull a fast one on the woman, who was beyond any doubt far sharper than he. Still, he did not have much choice, did he? Someone had tried to send a student to their death, and nobody with the power to prevent it from happening again knew. It was that knowledge that led his reluctant feet to the office door of his head of house.

Dimitri held his breath as he raised his fist and rapped it against the wood, the wild hope that she would not be there flicking in the back of his mind once again. No such luck, it would seem. The door swung open of its own accord, and the stern woman looked up at him expectantly from her desk. Dimitri moved carefully inside, taking his time to close the door in his wake. He heard her sigh, followed by the creak of her chair as she settled back. “You have a confession for me, I take it?”

He looked at her sharply, surprised. She seemed amused. “You're moving as one would approach a gallows,” she hummed. “Come and get it over with, then. Transparency is a good way to get yourself out of at least some trouble.” She gestured to a chair across from her, and Dimitri obeyed, falling into it at once.

Professor Mcgonagall steepled her fingers atop her desk and looked at him, waiting. Dimitri had been practicing what he was going to say all morning, but suddenly the words felt dry, as if they were sticking to his throat. He swallowed thickly. “I found Malfoy in the third floor corridor,” he finally said, “the rear corridor. Really late, on Halloween night.” She looked bit taken aback at his words, and a very serious expression came across her face.

“That was nearly a week ago, Mr. Blaiddyd,” she said, her voice tight. “What brings you to my office now, if not then?” He took a deep breath. There would be no way to avoid telling her, and if he was being honest with himself, he didn't know if he would be able to sleep at night if he withheld anything that may keep someone else from harm.

“I've seen the cerberus,” he began, and pressed on when indignant anger flashed in her eyes, “and I know that the school is using it to hide something, because whatever it was, was at my house over the summer. And I didn't really think of that, until I thought about how strangely Malfoy was acting, and realized that he may not have been there of his own free will.” He had to pause to catch his breath, then, while the professor stared him down. She watched him for a long time, and Dimitri wondered if she was deciding for herself what was appropriate to say.

“There's a lot to unpack here, Mr. Blaiddyd, not least of all what circumstance brought you to discovering the creature in that room,” she finally said. “Perhaps, however, we should begin with what exactly makes you think Mr. Malfoy was not acting of his own free will?” Dimitri launched into his explanation, happy to focus on this most vital of points, and Mcgonagall patiently waited for him to finish. Her knuckles were white from the pressure with which she held her hands together when he was done.

“I will share what you have told me with the Headmistress,” she said after some time had passed. “Since you showed at least some sense in bringing this news to me, I will take time to reflect on the most appropriate response to your own recklessness. Do not make me reconsider this by lingering longer than you should – away with you.” Dimitri did not dare test her patience and linger. He rose at once and hurried away, stumbling over his thank you and goodbye. His heart was hammering as he hurried down the hall, and it was only when he had separated himself from her office by several floors that he began to relaxe. No matter what punishment may come, he told himself, it was worth it if nobody got hurt.

When the weekend came again, Dimitri descended from the dormitory to find the common room abuzz with excitement. A large crowd had gathered around the notice board and he watched as people occassionally broke away from it, either pumping their fists triumphantly or, more commonly, drooping and slouching away. Glenn came out of the group when Dimitri neared and he accosted him at once, pulling him into a happy hug. “Made the team again!” He told him proudly, ignoring the jealous glares of a pair of fourth years who had seemingly not made the cut.

“Congratulations,” Dimitri enthused. “Who else is on the team?” Glenn helped him get through the crowd to see for himself, barking at the others to get out of his way. Dimitri could faintly hear Percy ranting about abuses of power, until it was abruptly cut off. He wondered if it had been Annette, or the twins.

Much of the group was beginning to disperse on its own by the time they got to the board, having seen what they needed to. Dimitri scanned the list of those who'd made the final cut for the Quidditch team, not surprised in the least at most of the names. They had all performed the best at their tryouts, hands down. One name in particular did strike him, however. “Petra!” He cried, whirling around to see if she was there. She popped up from a nearby table and hurried over, purple braids rattling around her head as she joined him.

“Have you seen, then? I am to be keeping!” Her smile was positively radiant. Byleth joined them, as well, and happily clapped her hand on Petra's shoulder.

“Your moves were impressive,” she praised her. “Keep it up, and don't let any of the older kids get to you, okay?” Petra nodded enthusiastically.

“I will be enduring it,” she vowed. “I have even made the choice to not be trying for Questing, so I may focus on keeping instead.” She pointed to the large and flamboyant poster that had drawn the attention of the rest of the crowd, and Dimitri moved to check it out. Banners in the brilliant shades of the school houses waved merrily across the page, and trumpets vibrated a silent cry over the scrolling text

_Questing practice fields now open! Level use is first come, first serve!_

_First round of certifications held the last weekend of November!_

_*Students please take note that only approved Questing weapons are allowed on school property. Possession of any other dangerous items will be met with strict punishment._

Thrilled, Dimitri quickly bid the others goodbye and made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, eager to talk to Felix about it. He found him easily in the still rather deserted room, and slid gracelessly onto the bench at his side. Felix hurried to pull his oatmeal out of Dimitri's path, scolding him for his flailing unhappily. “Did you hear?” Dimitri asked, ignoring him.

“Yes of course I heard, now sit up like a normal person.” Dimitri complied and made a teasing face at him for his seriousness. It worked, and Felix fought off the little smile at his friend's foolishness.

“We should practice together! Make sure we get on each other's teams,” Dimitri reached up to snag some toast from one of the floating trays, and he bit into it with relish. Felix ignored the transgression of manners, finally succumbing to his friend's excitement.

“And then we can keep challenging each other to be better,” he enthused, “and I will beat you.” Dimitri laughed, maintaining the presence of mind to at least swallow before he replied.

“Don't you think we'll be competing enough already, being on separate houses?” He teased.

“No,” was Felix's simple reply. It caught Dimitri a bit off guard, but he chose to ignore it. Perhaps his friend was developing a sense of ambition, after all. If that was the case, he was happy to support him in it. Felix, who gave everything he cared about his very all, would be an excellent person to compete with. More of Slytherin house began to arrive for breakfast after that and after several of them shot Dimitri scathing looks and nasty comments, he rose to return to Gryffindor table.

“You don't have to leave,” Felix told him, glaring back in challenge at a passing third year. Dimitri did not want to cause his already reclusive friend any trouble with his house, though, and he shook his head.

“I want to talk to Ingrid about it, too. I'll see you in Charms, okay?” He gave his unhappy friend a reassuring smile when he left, and slumped a little himself. It was just another pain revolving around Felix being separate from him, and one he told himself he would just have to get used to.

Ingrid and Caspar were already excitedly talking about training when he arrived at their table. From the sound of it, Ferdinand was trying to get Mercedes to try out, as well. “Medics are always sure to get in, and you said you want to be a healer when you get older, right? Get practice now!” Mercedes shook her head.

“I'm barely keeping up with my homework as it is, and I have volunteer work I do on the weekends. Maybe some other year,” she said.

“Leave her be, Ferdinand,” Ingrid told him. “Besides, less competition for us. Think of it that way.” That seemed to mollify the boy, and he dropped the matter soon after. He turned to Dimitri, instead.

“Do you want to join Caspar and I for some training after breakfast?” He asked. “We're going to try to get our beginner certification before try outs.”

“Sorry, but I'm already going to be training with Felix,” Dimitri declined. Ingrid perked up, knowing that even though Felix would grouse over a new person tagging along he would have no problem with Ingrid joining them. Dimitri would be happy to have her come, too – it seemed like it had been forever since they'd all hung out together. This was confirmed when he happily greeted her later, as they all met up en route to the sports fields.

“Will Sylvain be joining us?” Dimitri asked. Felix and Ingrid scoffed in near unison.

“Him, spend his weekend sweating at putting effort into something? As if,” Ingrid laughed.

A bit defensive of Sylvain, Felix added, “he just got this new book that he's all excited about. Said he'll hang out with us tomorrow.”

The path to the Questing dungeons started at a covered entry that led below ground. It was easy to find that morning, as what looked like half the school had gathered at it. From there was a long stone stair case leading into a large series of tunnels. The group looked around curiously, parting from the crowd as it filed down the stairs to the second floor, turning instead to explore the first. Unlike Quidditch, family members were not yet invited to spectate Questing games, and thus none of them had ever been down there before.

The first floor corridor opened first to their left into a round room filled with concession stands, all closed for the time being. Next they passed a set of bathrooms, both large enough to satisfy the needs of crowds of spectators. The level then curved around in a wide circle, interspersed with openings that went down into an arena full of bleachers. Similar in size to the Quidditch pitch, this arena had a great black blank space in its center, and a large and similarly blank cube hanging from the ceiling. Dimitri knew from pictures in his magazines that these black stretches would be filled with projections during the match, with the largest on the floor showing the map as it was revealed, and the cube above displaying highlights of what was going on. Curiosity sated, they back tracked to the beginning of the hallway.

They followed signs that led them through the door the rest of the crowd had filed through and went down several flights before the landing broadened for the first time. The doors here were all restricted access, though, with the words _Active Match Participants Only, Admin Booth, _and _Staging Room_ emblazoned across the front of each. They proceeded further down until they found a door labeled _Floor twelve: Open Practice_. They'd passed levels dedicated to the use of each house's team, as well as multiple levels dedicated to certification tournaments. Dimitri realized with surprise that this made the arena larger at least in depth than the Ministry of Magic, itself.

“We'll be in shape just from making the walk to and from the practice floors,” Dimitri mused as they pressed inside. Ingrid nodded her agreement, though none of them seemed displeased. Strong legs were a good thing when you strove to be a valuable unit in a team game.

The locker rooms were deafeningly loud when they entered, filled with the excited chatter of countless students reverberating off the smooth stone walls. Felix pressed his hands over his ears unhappily and kept close to Dimitri who carefully weaved them a path through the cluster of bodies, seeking an open locker for them to at least share. He found one in the very back, empty of all but a single empty potion bottle, and looked sympathetically to the glum expression on Felix's face. They're all starting to leave, Dimitri mouthed at him. Felix nodded and settled on a bench, hands still clamped firmly over his ears awaiting Dimitri's signal that it was safe to move them. His friend was reminded once again that, no matter how prickly Felix seemed to be becoming, he was still a sensitive boy at the end of the day, and needed Dimitri to look after him.

Dimitri paid close attention to the room's noise level as he stripped, and gestured to Felix when it had quieted down. “I can't wait until they all make the trip back up those twelve flights, and half of them quit right then and there,” Felix bit. Dimitri couldn't exactly argue, either, both because Felix was probably right and because it would be a relief to not have to fight through so many people.

“There were stairs going further down, do you think we'll have to keep going to find an open practice space?” Dimitri asked him. Felix shook his head.

“No, there's a specific arena for people who don't have a cert,” Felix said. “I'm pretty sure I saw it listed as being on this floor. Hopefully it will be less noisy. Though, I suppose I'll have to get used to loud sounds if I want to do sports...” he trailed off, disgruntled by the realization. “Why do people have to be so obnoxious?” He complained.

“They don't think about it, is all,” Dimitri told him while they finished putting their things away. They carefully tucked their wands into the pockets of their robes at the behest of the many signs they'd passed forbidding them from being carried in the recreational areas. He looked over the locker when they turned to leave, memorizing its location, and caught sight of a little marker to help him find it later: a small dragon head carved crudely into the bench in front of it.

The boys found Ingrid again in the hall, and together they moved along and read the signs to find where they needed to be. They found a directory, and Ingrid trailed her finger over it to try and pin where location of the open arena. “Floor twelve, thank God,” she sighed. The levels went all the way down to twenty.

The entrance to the arena was through a set of new looking double doors at the end of the hall. It wasn't as loud as Felix had feared, and Dimitri figured it must have some echo canceling charms on the high walls and ceilings. It was roughly half the size of an average Quidditch field, filled with small clusters of people swinging different things around experimentally. Great chunks of climbing wall interspersed with platforms dominated the far wall, filled with a variety of older students attempting to reach the top first. The wall closest to the entrance was lined with racks filled with equipment for them all to use, and they hurried over to select something good. Felix was quick to grab a sword, which he immediately turned to watch himself swing in the floor length mirror nearby. Ingrid and Dimitri took a bit longer to decide.

“What do you think, you two,” Dimitri asked them, “sword, or pole arm?”

“Sword,” Felix said at once, followed quickly with,

“Pole arm,” from Ingrid. Dimitri laughed.

“Really helpful, thank you,” he teased. Ingrid reached for a lance for herself and shifted it experimentally in her hands, testing the weight.

“Pole arm users are rarer,” she reasoned. “Plus, they're more tactically sound than a sword. Keep your enemy at arm's length, maintain the advantage.”

Felix raised his voice in immediate disagreement. “They're only more tactically sound if you lack the ability to master the sword,” he said. Ingrid scowled at the implication. “Swords are faster, more versatile, and deal more damage. Plus,” he added, turning back to Dimitri, “I'm doing the sword, and I thought we were going to compete with each other.” He had a point. In the end it was what Dimitri went with.

“Works for me,” Ingrid said while they looked for a space to train, “we'll be on the same team, after all. Better to cover a wider area of expertise.” Felix eyed the back wall longingly, but ultimately they decided to settle on a pit with a number of beams laid across the top. They each selected one to stand on and declared it their goal to reach the other side of the pit before they were knocked off. It was great fun, and physically exhausting. Felix and Ingrid were intense opponents, and neither of them shied away from being rough with their friends. Dimitri lost count of the number of times he'd gone sprawling to the cushioned floor of the mock pit, and found it smarting less and less as he got used to what positions hurt less to fall in.

It was Ingrid who rose victorious in their little game by the end. She held her lance behind her back and smirked watching the boys rub over their new multitudes of bruises. “Told you reach was useful,” she teased.

“Maybe this time,” Felix relented, but he swung his sword around to point it at her in warning. “But next time, I'll have you.”

“Bring it,” she enthused. They moved away from the pit to allow a waiting group to use it, each of them taking time to stretch their tired limbs and get some water from the fountains. Still wound up, they debated on what they'd like to do next.

“We could take a swing at one of the mock up games,” Dimitri ventured. “Though,” he added, a little hesitantly, “the mock areas for uncertified people are all on the bottom floor.”

Though Felix did not look remotely deterred by this, Ingrid shook her head. “I'm absolutely starving,” she said. “I don't think I'd survive the trip back up the stairs if I pushed it much longer.” Felix and Dimitri both faltered. As if in answer, Dimitri's stomach rumbled loudly. They followed Ingrid back to the locker rooms sadly, not quite ready to be done exploring this new thing for them to do.

They found plenty of other people getting ready to return to the castle when they reached their locker again, including Ferdinand and Caspar. The two were deep in conversation on what sort of team combinations the Gryffindors had utilized in previous years. “They're always heavy on recruiting mounted units, but they only ever run three at a time,” Ferdinand was saying. Most games allowed a team to deploy ten units and three adjutants, and exactly who they used was up the team itself.

“That doesn't matter to us, we're not allowed to try for mounted class until the second half of third year,” Caspar reminded him. The purpose of this was to give them time to learn about the common mounts from their Care of Magical Creatures class.

“Gryffindor favors axe users, as well,” Dimitri reminded them. “Brawlers, too. They deploy less ranged people than the other houses.”

“Which is why they always lose,” Felix interjected. “Range is a tactical must.” He held up a bottle then, a standard potion vial filled with a glimmering silver liquid. Dimitri was confused.

“What's that?” He asked him.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Felix said. “It was at the bottom of the locker.” Dimitri remembered there had been an empty bottle there when he had opened it, and leaned forward to see if it was still there. Nothing. He stared back at Felix.

“That couldn't be the empty bottle from earlier, could it?” Dimitri asked. Felix shrugged, and Dimitri gently took it from him for a closer look.

“Uncork the thing and take a whiff, see if you recognize it,” Caspar said. Felix stared at him.

“Why don't you do it?” He asked. Dimitri had to stop Caspar from listening, and Felix shook his head in disbelief when the boy actually tried.

“Leave it,” Dimitri warned Felix. He frowned but listened, biting his tongue against the cutting remark he surely had poised at the tip. Dimitri slid the bottle carefully into his bag to turn in to Professor Mcgonagall, and together they all made way for the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More character interaction! It is my favorite part, and I swear I could write entire chapters based around conversation alone. I try really hard not to do that, though, because it always feels jarring when I jump from following every sentence in a conversation, to describing the events of a week in a chapter >.<
> 
> Let me know what you think so far! We are definitely more than half way through book one right now, even if I can't decide exactly how many chapters she'll be in the end. Thank you for reading and Much Love, as always <3


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